


Mundane

by Haruka_Hourou



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, And More Fluff, Creeps - Freeform, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fem!Eren, Fluff, Hand Jobs, Rating may go up, Rule 63, SO MUCH FLUFF, Scheming mothers, Slight Jeren, Slow Build, lots of teasing, pretty much everyone at some point - Freeform, probably will, some violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-01
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-01-07 00:24:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 103,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1113291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haruka_Hourou/pseuds/Haruka_Hourou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren Yeager is a college student with an undecided major. She completed her basics at a local community college while her childhood companions, Armin and Mikasa, went off to Rose University. She delayed her start at Rose University for a semester so she could make enough money to pay for an apartment for herself and get a jump start on her University bills. She enrolls at Rose University as a junior. College AU. Fem! Eren and Prof! Levi. This is about Eren’s mundane life as a college student with almost no goals being changed by her interactions with the people around her.<br/>Apologies for the awkwardly worded summary.</p><p>Now Rated E for Chapter 20 (19).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Invitation

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin, if I did, no one would be dead.

**A/N**

**This is my first fanfic so I apologize if it is awkward to read at times. I would really love feedback so that I can improve. Thank you. I hope you enjoy!**

**tumblr. – haruka-hourou**

**twitter - @HarukaHourou**

**Instagram - @haruka_hourou**

**EDIT:** **Since I keep getting asked this:** **Why Fem! Eren?**

**Well, I really love Fem! Eren and I found a serious lack of fics out there that have her. It's NOT because I don't like BL, just wanted to make that clear. Anyway, I really hope I do her justice and I hope you come to like her (more) or even love her like I do!**

 

 

**Chapter One: Invitation**

It was on a chilly winter afternoon that she first received the invitation. Eren Yeager, who was sitting in a small coffee shop that was a 10 minute walk and 5 minute train ride away, checked her phone as a message flashed across the screen. 

 **[Received 3:40 PM] Mikasa:** _T_ _he University is throwing a holiday party after exams are over, you interested in going?_

She hummed quietly to herself as she thought about the invitation sent from her dear friend. She took a sip of her mocha latte, humming contently as the warm liquid slid down her throat. She typed and sent her response, asking for more details so she could let her boss know ahead of time. She set her phone on the table as she waited for Mikasa’s response and enjoyed the last few sips of her drink. The screen flashed again as she set the porcelain cup down on the plate and tapped the screen to open the message.

 **[Received 3:46 PM] Mikasa:** _The party is at the Chemistry Department Head’s home, any students and faculty from any department are invited. It's an open house style, so you can come and go as you please from 6 pm til midnight on December 21 st._

As she finished reading the last of the message, her phone lit up again with a second one.

 **[Received 3:47 PM] Mikasa:** _I know, it sounds kind of lame, but I think it will be a great place for you meet some of the people you will be going to school with… Armin and I are both going, so I really hope you will too. It’s been too long Eren. We miss you… this will be a great way to reminisce. Plus free food._

She smiled and laughed a little to herself, thinking, ‘It's only been a semester…’ She sent her response quickly, saying that she would ask her boss to let her start winter vacation that weekend and let Mikasa know for sure the following week. She also said that if she was able to go, she left the responsibility of finding her a date for the night on Mikasa.

Eren got up from the booth she occupied and walked over to the island station that held the paper products, water, sweeteners and the trash bin. She threw her gently used napkin into the trash hole and placed her soiled mocha cup and dish on the counter nearby for the workers to pick up and clean. As she headed for the door, she buttoned up her coat and pulled down her knitted beanie to protect her ears from the outside chill.

 

 

The cold air greeted her as she walked back to the train station to make her way home.

* * *

Two weeks after the invitation was sent, Eren found herself three hours away from her cheap little apartment on the lesser side of the city. She was now surrounded by large custom built homes, tons of corporate business buildings, and a few streets of shopping arcades filled with restaurants, apartments, hotels, and clothing boutiques.

Eren was guided through the crowds that filled the shopping arcades by Armin and Mikasa, both excited to find their last minute outfits for the holiday party, which was now just one night away. Mikasa finished her exams that Wednesday, but Armin didn’t finish his until Thursday, so neither of them had had a chance to go shopping for proper attire for the party. Armin was set on the shoes and suit he was going to wear, but he wanted to get shirt and tie that would match what Mikasa was wearing, since they were going as a pair.

After making their way past the large crowd of last minute Christmas shoppers, the trio landed in a shop that catered to both men and women, though the men’s section was embarrassingly smaller than the women’s. There were large red and green signs hanging over various sections of the shop, decorated with white and silver balls, and stripes resembling candy canes, that read ‘50% off’ or ‘Buy One Get One.’

Armin spoke up first, “I’m going to go look at their tie selection, the sale is pretty good and I’ve heard the quality here is decent for the price.”

Mikasa grunted and nodded in agreement as she took hold of Eren’s arm and steered her towards the evening and cocktail dresses. They separated and began their search for a good looking dress for the best price, and decided that they would pay together and get the ‘BOGO’ deal.

Mikasa pulled a few simple black dresses and one navy dress with silver stitching details. She wandered around to where Eren was and asked, “Eren, have you found anything you’d like to try on yet?” Eren nodded and smiled, showing a black sequined cocktail dress, a gold dress, and a silver dress. “Good,” Mikasa continued, “it’s pretty busy in here,” she paused and looked around, “I think it would be faster if we shared a dressing room.”

 Eren nodded in agreement adding, “Yea, that sounds good, then we won’t have to yell between rooms to ask for each other’s opinion.”

They made their way back to the dressing room and placed the little plastic marker with a number ‘6’ written in a fancy script outside the room with a thick white curtain. They entered, slid the curtain closed, then each picked a side before slipping out of their layers and trying on the sleek classy dresses. Mikasa ended up going with the navy blue dress. It was faux velvet with silver lace and stitching designs around the collar and the sleeves; it landed two inches above her knee. Simple, classy, and very fitting of Mikasa’s image. Eren decided to go with the black sequined dress, it seemed a bit much at first, but the black color and simple, fitted cut, made her features more prominent. She wasn’t exactly blessed in the curve department, rather, she had a lean athletic frame with a little curve from her hips and very little from her breasts. The sequins reflected the light when she moved, so it accentuated her barely there curves and was quite flattering for her figure.

They slipped out of their findings and back into their bundles of layers and exited the room feeling accomplished and content. Now the next thing on the list was accessories.

While Mikasa headed over to the sad excuse of a men’s section to show Armin her dress choice, Eren made her way over to the jewelry section to look for a nice ring and earrings to complete the look. She already planned to borrow Mikasa’s black patented leather heels, so she had free reign with whatever color of metal and jewels for her accessories. She hung the dress on her left arm and began picking out a few sets of earrings. She tucked some loose hair behind her ear and found an unoccupied part of the mirrored wall where she began holding her finds against her face to see where the length, and width on some, would fall. After searching through a surprisingly vast amount of options, she finally decided on a pair of asymmetrical pearled bows; one was a stud and the other fell about an inch lower with a single pearl as the stud and the pearled bow at the end of the silver chain. She picked out a simple silver ring band and some silver studs she was sure Mikasa would like. Armin found a navy blue dress shirt and a lighter gray tie with a silver paisley design. The trio made their way to the back of the store to pay. Once they'd made their purchases, they made it back out onto the sidewalk and into the growing crowd of last minute shoppers.

Eren spoke up, “Do you guys want to grab something to eat before we head back to the dorms?”

Mikasa nodded as she replied, “I’m pretty hungry, especially after going through all that, what about you Armin?”

“Yes, that sounds great. Where do you want to go?”

They pondered aloud as they continued walking until Eren caught a whiff of something fresh, herby, and fruity. “How about that little pizza place we went to last time I was here?” The other two nodded in agreement and they hurried as quickly as they could through the crowd and into the quaint corner pizzeria.

They sat and talked, reminiscing about their troubles and annoyances in their first few semesters of college life. Eren complained about her boss and his weird training methods while simultaneously praising how effective they were. She talked about how creepy some of the customers at the small salad bar she worked at were, while Armin and Mikasa recalled their triumphs and trials from the past four months. Their pizzas, salad, and drinks came and they ate like they'd never get another meal. Silence overtook the table as they hungrily devoured the spread before them.

Eren excused herself as she got up to go to the bathroom and on the way, tripped, not too gracefully over one of the loose, slightly raised tiles on the floor. Her large green eyes closed as she braced herself for the impact of the cold hard ground that she was tumbling forward to meet. When the impact she was expecting never came, she cracked her eyes open to peek at the softer and much warmer embrace of the white clothed arm that was wrapped around her waist and the feeling of a sharp hipbone pressed against her rear. She opened her eyes fully to register that she hadn’t fallen, and was in fact being held in place, and at that very moment, being tilted upright to stand, before she jerked out the hold of her savior and onto the wall a foot or so away from where they both stood.

With green eyes widened by surprise, she stared u- _down_ , at the man standing before her. He was short. Extraordinarily short. Not too unfortunate in the face… rather, not unfortunate at all, aside from the scowl …or was it a look of disinterest… that marred his face. He had on a suit, a black suit, with a white cravat slightly loosened and laying a bit slack around his neck. His suit jacket was carefully draped over the arm that hadn’t just rescued the…now rudely gawking Eren that was supporting herself with the wall. She regained some ability to process thought as the man quirked an eyebrow at her and began to straighten out his white dress shirt.

“…Thank you, um, thank you very much sir,” she paused and looked down at the floor for a moment before continuing, “I probably would have busted my face if it weren’t for you.” She laughed a little more awkwardly than she intended and smiled at the man.

“You should be more careful.” The man said in a silky smooth and unamused tenor, as he gave her frame a once over and turned to head out of the door. His expression remained unchanged, even after seeing the smile she gave him.

Eren watched his already small figure, get even smaller as he made his way out of the door and down the sidewalk, blending in with the rest of the hustling and bustling crowd. In her daze, she wandered into the bathroom and remembered what she had left, the table and her still waiting friends, to do. She hurried back, after washing her hands thoroughly enough by her standards, just in time to pay her part of the bill before they all got up and went back to the dorms to celebrate their spoils and sleep.

But mostly to sleep.

 


	2. Holiday Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin, if I did, no one would be dead.

**Chapter Two: Holiday Part 1**

Eren awoke to the sound of shuffling; she opened her eyes slowly to take in her surroundings. Her fuzzy vision slowly focusing on the dark haired figure crouched and facing away from her. She let out a quiet and content sigh as she stretched beneath the ruched plum duvet, reluctantly sitting up and pushing the covers off of her body. Shivering from contact with the colder air, she turned her body and hopped off the bed, pushing her bare feet into Mikasa’s unused slippers and hurrying out of the dorm room and down the hall to the floor's shared community bathroom.

Returning to the dorm room more awake, she walked over and sat on Mikasa’s side of the study desk, languidly offering a “Good morning,” to Mikasa, who was still kneeling between the two beds to pack up more of her belongings. Mikasa turned to Eren, smiled and returned the greeting with a bit more fervor than her barely conscious friend.

While Mikasa finished packing up her essentials, Eren lazily looked around her friend’s dorm room. She had slept in Mikasa’s roommates bed, her name was Krista, a quiet and petite little blonde with an extremely sweet disposition. Krista went home after the first two days of exams, since she was one of the unfortunate yet oddly lucky souls that had all their finals packed into the first two days of exam week. When Mikasa mentioned that Eren would be most likely be staying a night or two before the university shut down for the holidays, Krista gladly offered to leave her own toiletries and bedding for Eren to use, since she didn’t really need them back home.

Eren’s eyes wandered over to Mikasa’s neatly made bed, ice blue with white polka dots and silver and black throw pillows for flair and style. She smiled to herself, remembering that she picked out the round black velvet one with faux jewels in the center of it. Eren got to her feet and walked over to Krista’s, now messy bed, and began to fix it back into its original, pristine condition before going over to her own suitcase and picking out something to wear for the day before she went to the party. Grabbing her toothbrush and a few other toiletries, she headed back out of the room and down the hall to the community bathroom again, all the while thinking of what she wanted to eat when they met up with Armin for brunch.

* * *

The time was 5:30 PM, displayed in broken black digital text across a cobalt blue screen on the black alarm clock that sat on a little night stand in between the two twin beds. Armin was already dressed in his dark gray suit and navy shirt; the suit jacket hung in Mikasa’s closet nook while he adjusted his tie in the long mirror attached to the door. Eren sat in Krista’s chair on her side of the study desk, while Mikasa sat on her own side, both girls doing their makeup.

Mikasa expertly finished up her left eye and quickly went to work on her right one to give it the same brown smoky effect. The makeup tutorials she watched earlier in the day with Eren all suggested using false eyelashes, but neither she nor Eren deemed them necessary. Nothing a few extra coats of mascara couldn’t replicate. Eren decided to go for a simple but classic black cat eye with a little bit of shimmery sparkle on her lower lid and a little white on the inside of her eyes to make them pop. Both of the girls turned to Armin and asked for his opinion before they turned to each other for one final look over and then moved on to their hair and accessories. By the time all the little details were complete and the trio was heading out of the door to meet-up with their friend Marco, who offered to drive them all to the party together, the little black alarm clock displayed 6:25 PM.

On the ride to the Chemistry Department Head’s home, Dr. Pixis according to Armin, Eren finally got to hear about the supposed ‘date’ Mikasa found for her. He was tall, fairly athletic and _most_ girls considered him to be handsome, though he had oddly colored hair, the roots a dark brown while the length was dyed blonde. Eren laughed to herself imagining how ridiculous the guy sounded and was jokingly scolded by Mikasa, “Eren, you should be nice to him,” she paused a moment as she smiled for the next statement, “Jean has a hard time getting along with girls, he’s hard headed and has a bit of temper.” She let a little laugh escape her tastefully glossed lips, “You two should get along perfectly.”

Eren gave Mikasa an indignant huff and stuck her tongue out half-heartedly. Armin chuckled and Marco looked into rear view mirror briefly to offer a smile before looking back down to the road. Eren leaned her head against the headrest and Mikasa flicked her on the wrist, “Eren, you’re going to mess up your hair if you lean back like that.”

Eren pursed her lips and leaned forward a little, allowing just her back to rest against the seat while her head was lifted a few centimeters from the headrest. “Better?” She asked raising a challenging eyebrow and crossing her arms.

“Much.”

The girls stared at each other for a moment before bursting out in laughter at their childish actions. It was then that they noted the deceleration of Marco’s red Sienna and they looked out of the windows to see the massive houses that lined the street they were currently being driven down. One house had a circle driveway made out of, what appeared to marble, but Eren could barely tell from the dim lighting that the street lamp offered. Her eyes widened at the sheer size of the home, which she guessed was at least three stories high. The only other details she was able to make out were the two giant and imposing stone lions that stood at the entrance of the home. The next home seemed even grander, if that was possible. It had a large water fountain with a female shaped figure in the center; the fountain was surrounded by a bed of winter shrubs, and it lay in the middle of a cobblestone driveway. The home behind the fountain appeared to be very light in color, all Eren was able to make out were a few detailed archways and some pillars.

The car slowed even more, as Marco pulled up a curbside and then parked. Eren and Mikasa exited through the sliding door, Armin taking Mikasa’s hand to help her out and Marco following in suit with Eren. The group walked towards the Doctor’s home, perhaps grandest of all the homes they’d seen thus far, Eren’s mouth fell agape in awe.

Her wide emerald orbs took in the grandeur of the outside of the home, a simple cobblestone pathway leading up to the entrance. A large marble balcony laid over the doorway, two giant white pillars stood about three yards out from a small three tiered stone stair path, with two smaller white pillars settled at the top of the stairs. A few feet past the stairs was a pair of ornately designed doors with two large rose designed stained glass panels on either side of the double doors. A large bronze encased light, hung just above the entrance to light the way into the house. Two small marble lion statues sat atop the stairs, as if guarding the outside entryway to the home. The house itself was made of large bricks, with lighter bricks making a pattern on the corners of the home while darker bricks made-up the majority of the structure. Two circle windows and two larger arched windows framed the balcony and the entryway. Green ivy grew along the sides of the structure, giving it an antique look.

A small sign that read ‘Come On In’ in neat pen marks was placed on one of the handles to the double doors. The trio and Marco entered through the doors all pausing a moment to take in the interior. A wide gold-carpeted staircase greeted them as they walked through the doors, closing them behind them as they went further in. There was a large rose shaped emblem inlaid on the marble of the floor. To the left of the stair case was a large sitting area, white and gold with a few pops of red and green decorating the room. To the right was a hallway where the faint sound of music and voices could be heard coming from further down the hall.

The group, lead by Armin, walked down the hallway and into another open area which held the kitchen, a dining area, and yet another sitting room. The center of the room held a large 10 foot Christmas tree, decorated expertly with gold and burgundy ribbons, soft white lights and gold, white, and burgundy ornaments, topped with a large red rose with ribbons streaming down the sides all the way to the white marble floor.

Eren felt under dressed in her simple and fitted black sequined dress, plain sheer dark hose and black patent leather heels. She absentmindedly reached up and pulled on a little curl of hair that framed her face. Mikasa had curled a few pieces and left her bangs split down the center in the natural part on her face. She also helped her with the rest of her hair. In the back, Eren’s hair was divided in three heart shaped sections, with a loose fish tail braid running through the center of each section from the top all the way to the tie at the end. Each piece of hair that made up the large heart shaped sections was neatly braided into the fish tail, and little pearled hair pins were pushed over the junctions.

Mikasa’s hair was left down; her bangs remained straight while the rest of her shoulder length tresses were given a slight wave for more movement and flair. A small silver beret was added to push back some hair over her right ear, exposing the pretty silver studs Eren picked out for her the previous night. Armin’s hair was tied back with a navy ribbon, to match Mikasa’s dress.

As the group went further into the room, admiring the decor and design of the home, they were greeted by an older woman with long, elegantly styled white hair that reached down to the start of her waist. She was a petite and handsome woman with bright, yet somewhat tired blue eyes. Doctor Pixis’ wife. She walked over to them and welcomed them, showing them around the party area and welcomed them to help themselves to any refreshments that they might like. She also said when more people arrived that she would show them to their ‘humble’ ballroom so those who wished to dance could do so without worrying about bumping into anything.

Eren giggled to herself after hearing the word ‘humble’, thinking, ‘nothing in this neighborhood fits that description.’

Mikasa drifted away from the group for a moment to talk to a young man, one who looked strikingly similar to her earlier description in the car…that could only be Jean. Eren thought, ‘Hmm, he reminds me of something,’ she narrowed her eyes for a moment of concentration then brightened up slightly thinking, ‘Ah! Yes, he looks a like a horse.’ She laughed quietly to herself before sighing audibly and then putting on her best fake smile as Mikasa guided the horse-faced menace over to their small circle.

“H-hi!” Jean stammered, face lightly flushed, as he took in Eren’s appearance. “My name is Jean…nice to finally meet you…” he awkwardly stuck his hand out to Eren, his body rigid with nerves.

Fake smile still plastered on her face, Eren reached out to unenthusiastically shake his clammy hand. “Eren,” she completed his sentence, “and it’s nice to meet you too Jean.”

A few awkward moments later and the group was finally seated in the finely furnished living space next to the kitchen. Chattering away about the semester and occasionally pausing their conversations to greet new arrivals and invite them into their conversation. Eren was actually beginning to enjoy her time with her childhood friends and newly met acquaintances. She hoped that she’d see more of them when the next semester started; Rose University was a fairly small school, with an undergraduate class of about 3,000, so the odds were considerably higher than many other schools like Maria which had an undergraduate class of around 10,000. 

After an hour or so had passed, the party room had filled considerably more with a few stranglers coming or leaving, all in all there were about 60 people in the room; many of them staff members with their families and professors at the university. From what Eren could tell, there were only about 20 students. At this point, Mrs. Pixis came out and announced that those who wished to dance, or wanted a little more space to move around, could follow her to the ballroom. Several couples left to follow her, including Armin and Mikasa, and a tall blonde guy named Reiner and his hilariously short date Annie. Most of the other couples that followed weren’t students.

Eren took in the remainder of the crowd, some children and a few older people, some students huddled in a corner, and a group of neatly dressed professionals near the bar. Jean wanted to dance with Eren, but she said she wasn’t feeling up to it just yet and opted to sit and talk more with her new acquaintances. Jean was blabbing on about how much weight he could lift, or something, at this point Eren didn’t really care anymore, her eyes wandering over to the group of sharply dressed professionals conversing with Dr. Pixis.

There was one very tall man, handsome, blonde, and sharply dressed. Another taller blonde man with a neatly kept mustache and his arm around the waist of a short haired blonde woman. A brunette woman with a messily done bun and, what appeared to be a beaded chain attached to her glasses, she was very animated, it looked as if she did most of her talking with her hands. To her left was another man, from the way his feet barely touched the floor, Eren could only assume he was short. He had a sleek black suit on, with a red dress shirt. He was turned away so Eren wasn’t able to see what tie he paired with the look, but she was almost sure that it had silver in it, she guessed that from the silver cufflinks she was just barely able to see when lifted his arm to drink. He also had a peculiar hold on his cup. Interesting. As she continued to study the group, the shorter man in particular, she realized that he seemed familiar for some reason. He obviously wasn’t a student, if his finely tailored suit could speak for him, and he was sitting conversing with what looked like professors at the university.

She continued staring intently at the back of the dark haired males head, completely blocking out Jean’s mumbling. She recognized him. But from where? She was so stuck in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice the handsome blonde man give her a questioning look, nor did she notice when he tapped the subject of her musings and pointed to her. She did however register the incessant tapping on her shoulder of her ‘date’ for the night; she turned her head away from the short man and asked, “What?” to Jean.

He turned crimson again and said with a stutter, “Y-your hair i-is really pretty!”

Eren stared at him, processing his words for a moment before replying, with a genuine smile, “Thank you, Mikasa fixed it for me.”

The others in their group laughed and poked more fun at Jean for his embarrassment when talking to Eren. She quickly turned her attention back to the bar, only to find that the short man had left the bar stool. She looked around the room, trying to find where he’d wandered off to before Jean interrupted her thoughts again. “E-Eren!” She sighed and turned back to Jean with a small smile as he continued, “Would you like to dance now?”

“Sure, why not.” She offered her hand to him as she got off the sofa she had been lounging on and added, “I’m tired of sitting anyway.”

He guided her, along with a few others, down the hall to the ballroom. Eren’s eyes widened again at the sight before her, the wooden floor had a double rose design with thorns spreading out from each rose, the design painted with silver, white and red. The ballroom walls to the left side were floor to ceiling mirror, while the rest of the walls were covered in beige and white damask wallpaper.

A steady tango tune with a tang added in from an electric guitar was playing, the lyrics were sung beautifully in Spanish. Eren watched Mikasa and Armin dancing to the tune and smiled to herself, wishing she knew how to tango. The only dance they’d had time to teach her was a basic waltz and the beginnings of what could be called a foxtrot.

Jean pulled her along onto the floor, despite her protests and insistence that she didn’t know how to do the proper dance to the song; he simply smirked and pulled her close to him with a firm grip on her waist. He began with a slow and simple box step, gradually getting up to tempo with the song. They continued this way until it ended and the next song began soon after. This was a steady waltzing song, with a trumpets, flutes and symbols in harmony with the many violins and cellos to keep the time. Jean and Eren danced a simple waltz, Jean getting a bit too excited and confident with his grip on Eren as a his hand began to slide a bit further down her waist, approaching the curve of her hip before settling on her rump. Eren intended to give him a few more steps to correct his apparent hand slippage, however she quickly realized that it was accidental when he gave her cheek a firm squeeze. Eren promptly stepped on his foot and backed away from him and out of his grasp as he clutched his, now throbbing, appendage.

She stormed towards the entrance to the ballroom, intent on leaving Jean for making an ass of himself, ‘Horse-face, more like ass-face’ Eren thought to herself. She wandered out and down the wrong side of the hallway, ending up back in the front of the home after getting turned around for a short period of time. She recognized the familiar gold-carpeted stairwell and curiosity took the better of her.

She wandered up the stairwell, hoping to find the entrance to the grand balcony which overlooked the rest of the beautiful homes and mansions that lined the streets of this neighborhood. After reaching the top of the staircase, she turned and saw the double doors leading outside directly across from where she currently stood. She walked around the golden railed edge of the second floor to the bronze framed doors and pushed open one door, hoping it was unlocked, though she wasn’t paying enough attention to her surroundings to notice that the door was already cracked.

She wandered out onto the balcony and practically ran over to the stone railing, emerald eyes sparkling with excitement as she looked over the edge at all the other homes now coming into her view. She smiled and began spinning around the balcony, pretending as if she was a princess in a grand floor length gown being twirled around by a lord or prince who she imagined lived in one of the small mansions surrounding her. All the while, she did not notice the slight shadow leaning against the entrance off to the corner. That is, not until said shadow chuckled at her childish, but endearing display.

Eren froze, eyes wide with surprise and a bit of fear, as she looked for the source of the sound. “H-hello…who… who’s there?” She questioned weakly.

“Just another bored soul unfortunate enough to be dragged to this grand soirée.” Came the amused reply. The voice was smooth, crisp, and deep. The owner of this voice remained in the shadows as Eren’s eyes darted across the expanse of the balcony.

“C-come out to where I can see you,” she answered wearily, “if this is some kind of joke, it’s not funny.” What she got in response was another hearty chuckle and a “Fine, just don’t piss yourself… brat.”The man walked out from his corner and Eren felt her eyes widen again, this time in shock and acknowledgment.

“Wait… I recognize you…?” Eren said as though it were a question.

The man looked over to her, walking closer and raising a brow, “So what?” he paused, coming closer, stopping only a foot or so away from Eren, who instinctively backed herself up into the stone railing. “Do you expect me to be impressed because a clumsy brat like you remembers the face of the person who saved her face from being, oh how did you put it, ‘busted up’.” He said the last part in air quotes as he smirked at her.

“You!” Eren said as she remembered the night before more clearly, she was so embarrassed that she really didn’t remember the man’s features too clearly. But, as she was looking at him, she did remember how handsome he really was, the way his hair fell neatly to the side of his face, his sharp light eyes, the definition of his jaw line…

“See something you like kid?” The handsome man questioned.

Eren realized she had been caught staring and she ripped her gaze away immediately, feeling her face burn and praying that he couldn’t see her face as well as she could see his. “No sir.” She answered timidly. “Sorry for staring.” She turned around and hid her heated cheeks in her hands.

The man approached further, resting his own arms on the stone ledge no more than a foot away from where Eren rested hers. They stood there, silence enveloping them for several more minutes, as Eren gradually got over her embarrassment and went back to admiring the houses and then to the stars from her new vantage point. She almost forgot that the man was there. Almost. She shivered slightly, but tried to ignore the chill in favor of admiring the view a bit longer.

He spoke up, “So… do you have a name kid?”

She looked over to him, green eyes darkened by the night to a dark jade color, slight surprise evident in her features before she looked back up at the stars and answered, “It's Eren.” She paused, then added, “Eren Yeager, what about you sir?” She looked back over to him, his eyes staring straight ahead as he answered, “Levi.”

She turned back, this time, looking down at the street and smiled as she repeated to herself, “Levi huh.”She shivered again, but still refused to acknowledge it. She didn’t really mind the cold too much; besides, the atmosphere was more than worth it. It was like they were the only two who existed, alone in the large grand home. It was them, the sky full of stars and the little mansions that surrounded them.

Eren was so caught in her thoughts and daydreams that she didn’t notice Levi push himself off of the stone pillars and shrug off his suit jacket. He walked up behind her and placed the warm jacket around her shivering frame, startling her.

“Don’t stay out all night brat, you might catch a cold.”He had a small smile on his face as he walked back into the home to rejoin his colleagues who were most likely questioning his whereabouts. He turned back and looked at Eren, giving a small wave when she shouted at him, “I’m twenty, so stop calling me a brat!”

Eren flushed and wrapped the jacket a bit closer around her torso. It was warm and smelled faintly of lavender and cologne. A comfortable and light scent, not overpowering like Jean’s cheap musk that he probably sprayed all over everything he owned. She hummed quietly to herself as she watched a few cars pass down the street and then looked back up to the sky. She thought about returning to her friends but decided that she would like to savor the quiet serenity of the balcony for a bit longer.

 


	3. Holiday Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin, if I did, no one would be dead. 
> 
> A/N  
> Thank you for the kudos and subscribes! I’m glad you are enjoying this fic! :3

**Chapter Three: Holiday Part 2**

Levi peered over and noticed the shivers overtaking Eren’s petite frame. He sighed and pushed himself off the stone balcony, shrugging off his suit jacket in the process. He closed the distance between himself and Eren, wrapping his jacket around her shoulders. He startled her and he smirked knowing that he did. ‘Her responses are so cute and honest.’ Then, turning on his heel, he left her side and started towards the doorway to rejoin the others at the party.

He called over his shoulder as he made his way back to the doorway, “Don’t stay out all night brat, you might catch a cold.” He turned back slightly to look over his shoulder at her response, smirking again and waving his hand lazily when she shouted, “I’m twenty, so stop calling me a brat!”

‘Oh, wow, twenty whole years, still a brat if you ask me,’ he thought to himself as he walked through one of the doors, deciding not to close it and leave it cracked slightly. Levi retraced his steps down the gold railed walkway, descended the stairs, and made a left at the end of the staircase and continued down the hallway to the party space. He was greeted by his closest companions, Erwin, the Dean of Students, and Hange, the head of the Biology Department. He sighed to himself as he saw the slight raise of Erwin’s thick blonde brow and Hange’s eyes widen enthusiastically. He already knew what they were going to ask, he walked past them and grabbed a prepared glass of red wine, then turned back to join the two, awaiting their questions.

“So…?” Hange began, pushing her glasses frames further up towards the bridge of her nose.

“So what.” Levi replied sternly, taking a quick whiff of the wine before taking a sip, ‘This is pretty nice, I have to ask Mrs. Pixis what label this is.’

Erwin interrupted his thoughts on the quality of the wine, “What happened to your suit jacket?” Always terse and to the point.

Levi took another sip, savoring the flavor on his tongue before answering, “I loaned it out for the night.” He received another questioning look from Erwin, and dismissed the look in favor of tasting the tangy burgundy liquid in his glass. He really wanted a bottle or two of it for himself. He looked up from his glass and gave Erwin a stern look, silently telling him that was the end of the conversation.

Erwin read the sign clearly, shrugging his shoulders and admitting defeat before walking back over to the spot at the bar their group had previously occupied. Mike and Nanaba decided to call it a night and left a half hour prior to Levi’s return from the balcony. All that remained of their group was the trio. Levi reoccupied his previous seat, intent on finishing his glass and asking for the label when Mrs. Pixis returned, presumably from dancing.

Hange bounced over to the bar, grabbing another glass of champagne, eagerly sipping away as she sat down next to Levi, with Erwin mimicking her actions on the opposite side. For a short while longer, they sat in relatively comfortable silence, listening to low murmur of the various conversations being had around them. That is, _relatively_ , until Hange spotted something interesting coming around the corner, and started bouncing slightly. With his wine glass now empty and no still sign of Mrs. Pixis return, Levi let out another heavy sigh and then took a deep breath. Levi spoke up, turning to address Hange, “What is it?”

“I wasn’t aware Levi’s loan service was reserved for pretty _young_ women.” She put a bit too much emphasis on the ‘young’ part, playfully jabbing Levi in the side as she directed her gaze over to hallway leading to the ballroom. Levi gave an annoyed grunt and shook his head, setting his empty glass down along with a card he pulled out of his pant pocket.

“Well since you know who I loaned it to,” he pushed the card towards Hange before continuing, “I no longer need to stick around with you _raging_ party animals” he punctuated his words with a roll of his eyes and hopped off the bar stool, waving as he headed back towards the entrance of the home. “Tell her to have it dry cleaned and dropped off there.” With that, he made his way down the hallway and out of the door. He was greeted by the chill of night air as he fished his keys out of his pocket and unlocked his panther black Audi TTS Coupe. He opened the door; looking back up to the balcony and smiling while imagining the flustered look on Eren’s face when she receives his calling card. He sat himself down, buckled up and turned on the engine, pausing a moment to let it warm up a bit and sending a quick text to Erwin to find out the label on the wine he enjoyed. Once he deemed it warm enough, he ripped out his parking space and drove a steady –- over the limit—pace out of the neighborhood and down the highway to his loft.

* * *

 Eren yawned and stretched, being careful not to drop the slightly cooler jacket still draped around her shoulders. She let out a content sigh and decided it was time to rejoin her group of friends. She somehow managed to make her way back to ballroom, walking past the door just as Armin and Mikasa were exiting, both looking a bit spent, but very content. Mikasa was the first to raise her brow at Eren’s wardrobe change. Eren blushed lightly and shrugged as if it were perfectly normal for her to be sporting such a well tailored suit jacket. Armin just laughed at their silent exchange as he led them back down the hall to get more refreshments and meet back up with the other students.

When they reached the end of the hallway and entered into the party space, Mikasa noticed that Jean was on one of sofas sulking and being comforted by Marco. She also noticed that both he and Marco were still wearing their jackets. Armin had removed his while they danced, but he was already wearing his again so it couldn’t be his. She began to question, “Eren…” but she paused as she turned to see a retreating figure, a male figure, a jacketless male figure, heading towards the entrance of the home. She turned her head fully to Eren and continued, “Eren, whose jacket is that?”

Eren blushed again, and looked around the room quickly, perking up slightly when she spotted the tall handsome blonde and the energetic brunette, but then looked on confused when she realized Levi wasn’t with them. She searched the room one more time, her gaze sweeping more carefully, ignoring the scene of a dejected looking Jean taking up space on one of the sofas, but still ending up with nothing. She wondered briefly if maybe he went back up to the balcony to fetch his jacket from her, but dismissed the thought as she saw the brunette woman excitedly wave to her. Though she wasn’t waving a greeting, it was after a few seconds of Eren processing that it wasn’t a greeting and Mikasa gently nudging her forward and towards the bar that she realized she was waving her over.

Eren looked back at Mikasa and Armin for a moment, offering an “I’ll be right back,” and hesitantly walked over to the two occupying the bar area.

Hange smiled at her, patting the bar stool between herself and Erwin, the one Levi had previously occupied. Eren offered a small smile in return, looking nervously at the seat before pulling herself up to sit between the two older adults. Erwin spoke first, “Would you like something to drink?” directing Eren’s gaze to the other end of the bar where there were a few remaining glasses of wine, both red and white, a few empty champagne glasses with a bottle available, a glass dispenser of sangria, as well as a few bottles of sparkling cider and water.

Eren nodded shyly, “Just a water please.” Erwin reached over the counter and grabbed a bottle of Perrier, he loosened the lid and then placed the partially opened bottle in front of Eren. She smiled and thanked him, then turned to look at the bespectacled brunette who was watching her with wide, interest filled eyes.

“So, where did you get that jacket?” The wide eyed woman asked.

Eren blushed and pulled it a bit tighter around her torso, “From a man named Levi,” she paused then added quickly, “he lent it to me because I was cold.” The bespectacled woman’s grin widened, she moved even closer to Eren, only a few inches away from her face as if inspecting her for anything that might betray a lie.

Erwin cleared his throat, reaching around Eren and gently pushed Hange back into her seat. His arm lingered in the position for a moment longer as he watched the tips of Eren’s ears turn red. He retracted his arm adding, “I’m sorry, it was rude of us to not introduce ourselves before questioning you. I am Erwin Smith, you may call me Erwin” at this, Eren turned around to look at Erwin as he continued to speak, “the woman to your right is Hange Zoe.” Eren turned back and nodded at Hange, offering a small smile before turning back to Erwin.

“I’m Eren…Yeager, nice to meet you both.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Eren,” Erwin offered his hand as a greeting, Eren accepted and shook his hand, a little awed by how large his hand was and how firm its grip on her own was.

“So are you a student? I haven’t seen you before, are you new? Transferring? Considering?” Hange asked one after another, in a somewhat hyper and excited voice.

“I am a student… well not quite yet. That is, I mean… I’ve been accepted already and I plan on starting this coming spring semester.” Eren paused to take a drink of her sparkling water, giving herself a moment to compose herself before continuing on. “I am transferring from a community college; I just finished most of my basics there.”

“Oh, so you’re not a freshman then?” Hange looked over at Erwin and smiled. “What year are you coming in as?”

“Ah, no, I should have a junior’s standing, but that all depends on how my credits transfer.” Eren began to feel much more at ease with these two, and it was becoming much easier to talk.

Hange clapped her hands together lightly saying, “What about your major then, surely you have decided one by now!?”

Eren smiled sheepishly, reaching up and playing with a piece of her curled fringe. “Actually, I’m entering undecided, I’m still not dead set on a major yet,” she paused and took another drink of the water, “I know it’s awfully late to still be considering, but I do plan on talking to a guidance counselor about it… so I’m not too worried just yet.”

Hange’s grin grew even wider, “That’s alright!” she put her hand on Eren’s back, rubbing in an endearing way, “I know plenty of students who change majors the first semester of their junior year,” she pushed her glasses back up and continued in a more serious tone, “though you should be prepared for a heavier course load the last three semesters if you don’t decide soon.”

Erwin broke into the conversation to add, “You might want to consider taking summer classes and interterm as well, it will help free up your schedule.”

Eren looked at them both and smiled appreciatively, this was valuable advice, and worth taking note of. She turned to Erwin and asked “Sir… I mean, Erwin, do you mind if I ask what you do at the school?”

Erwin nodded and offered a warm yet stern smile, “I am the Dean of Students,” he looked over at Hange, directing Eren’s eyes in her direction as well, “Hange is the head of the Biology Department.” At this new information, Eren’s eyes widened in realization. Realization that she was sitting with two important and influential people of the school she would soon be considered a part of. While this information sunk in, Erwin added, “If you ever need anything, we would both be happy to help you in any way possible.”

At that, Eren felt like a heavy weight was lifted off of her chest. She could ask them for advice on choosing a field and making it a successful career, on scholarships and financial aid, money management, the list was endless. She offered up a warm smile to both of them, nodding her head in acknowledgment and respect of their achievement and status.

Erwin smiled back and spoke again, “It’s about time for us to get going,” he looked over to Hange, who was scribbling something on the back of a Levi’s ‘calling card’, “Don’t you think so?” He looked back down at Eren, reaching around her and grabbing the card from Hanji. He handed her the little business card, “Levi said he lent you the jacket for the night, just dry-clean it and bring it to this address.” He pointed to front of the card which showed a building name and room number, he then narrowed his eyes at the scrawl written on the back. He turned the card around and added, “It might be better to get it back to him sooner though, so you can just drop off here.” With that, he left the card in Eren’s hands and got up from his seat. He and Hange waved goodbye and walked around towards the ballroom to inquire about the drink selection Mrs. Pixis chose for the night.

Eren sat, eyes wide, as the information began to sink in. She turned the card back to the front and studied it, ‘So he’s a psychology professor, and I guess that is the building where his office is…so the back must be… his home address? But why would he give me that… well I suppose he wouldn’t be back in his office until the semester started again later in January so he probably would want his jacket back before then… but his home address, really? And why do I have to dry clean it. That prick, I bet he’s laughing wherever the hell he is right now.’ She got up from her seat and made her way back over to Armin, Mikasa, and the rest of the group she’d become acquainted with throughout the night.

She was greeted with the questioning eyes of Mikasa and Armin, she sighed and spoke “I’ll tell you when we get back tonight; I’m too tired to relive it right now.” Mikasa nodded and Armin smiled; they walked over to Marco who was still comforting a dramatically depressed Jean. After a few quick words, Marco handed his keys over to Armin and told him to go ahead and park in his usual spot in the garage and that he would come by Armin’s dorm later to retrieve his keys. Marco didn’t want to leave Jean alone in his current state, so he decided he would drive Jean home for the night and just crash there with him, since he didn’t live too far from the campus.

The trio said their goodbyes and made their way out of the grand home and to Marco’s parked minivan. Armin unlocked the doors to the vehicle, opened the door for Mikasa and helped her up before shutting her door, then slid the side door open and helped Eren up and in, he then walked around the front and got into the driver’s seat. Once they were a few minutes out of the neighborhood and closer to the campus, Armin spoke up, breaking the somewhat awkward silence that had settled in the car. “Eren…what was all that?” He looked up into the rear view mirror while the car was stopped at red light.

With a light sigh, Eren looked up, meeting Armin’s eyes in the mirror, then Mikasa’s as she turned to look at her from the passenger’s seat before beginning, “Remember when I left the ballroom earlier?”

Armin nodded, and then looked back to the road as the light turned green, “Well more like you smacked Jean and stormed off, but continue.”

At that, Eren rolled her eyes and huffed, “He grabbed my ass; no way was he getting off easy!” A small laugh from Armin and the narrowing of Mikasa’s eyes were her responses. She continued, “Anyway, I ended up getting lost and I wandered upstairs to the balcony… I didn’t think anyone else was there and I ran into a guy named Levi again, we chatted for a bit, and then just kind of watched the stars. It was nice… he just lent me his jacket because I was cold, then he left, his friends, well I assume they were his friends, colleagues whatever,” she waved her hand dismissively, “left me his contact information so I can return his jacket…yea, that’s about it.”

Mikasa’s already narrowed eyes grew even slimmer, “Again? Eren what do you mean again?”

“O-oh, I mean, I don’t think I told you guys this last time, but when we were at that pizza place I tripped on my way to the bathroom and…we he sort of…caught me and sort of saved me…so yea…again.” At this point, Eren was a lovely shade of pink, the flush of embarrassment spreading all the way up to the tips of her ears again.

The rest of the drive to the dorms was filled with silence, Mikasa’s stemmed from her anger over the incident with Jean and the sudden appearance of this smooth and perpetually disappearing _midget_ who somehow managed to work his way into Eren’s life. Armin’s from his concentrating on getting them back safely, though the roads were relatively clear and the salt had been laid, there were still a few slick places that could cause problems if you weren’t paying attention. Eren’s from her embarrassment and the strangely exciting situation she’d found her way into, though she was still a bit wary of having the man’s home address.

Armin parked the car in the garage and dropped the girls off at their room before making his way back to his own. Each member of the trio undressed, bathed, and redressed, preparing themselves for some much needed sleep and what the next few days held in store for them. By midnight, each one had their heads laid comfortably on a pillow and were nestled warmly under several layers of bedding. By the time the little black clock displayed 12:30 AM, they were all fast asleep.

* * *

In the days following the holiday party, Eren had helped Mikasa finish packing up her essentials and both ended up going back to Eren’s cheap little apartment in Shiganshina to finish packing up, as well to prepare her for her move to Rose. Eren had to be out of her apartment by the fifth of January. Armin offered to help look for a few places since he lives so close to the area with his grandfather; Eren gave him her price range while she looked up places online. She also began filling out online applications for a variety of jobs near Rose University. She had saved up enough to live off of for at least three months, but she needed to secure another job so she wouldn’t have to use up all of her savings.

Eren’s next two weeks were spent packing and planning for her move, with the aid of Mikasa and Armin while Levi’s were spent relaxing, cleaning, exercising, and occasionally being dragged around by Hange and Erwin. 


	4. The Move

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own SNK, if I did, no one would be dead.  
> A/N  
> I deemed this to be necessary plot filler, so there is not much riren action. Thank you, hope you enjoy~!  
> Also, I love Jean I swear. That’s why I bully him so much <3

**Chapter Four: The Move**

Eren and Mikasa sat waiting for Armin in a quaint little Italian restaurant a few blocks away from the campus. They both brought a few days worth of clothes so they could stay with him and his grandfather while they looked around the city for a new apartment for Eren. Armin managed to find a few decent looking places within or around Eren’s budget, but he wanted the girls to go with him when they went to see them in person before deciding on anything.

“Eren,” Mikasa spoke as the waiter brought them two waters, Eren’s with a little lemon wedge and Mikasa’s with no ice. “Have you heard anything back from any of the places you've applied too?”

Eren thanked the waiter with a smile and slight nod of her head, before taking the glass and squeezing the lemon into it. “I haven’t heard anything back from Trost Hotel, I really want to go by in person while we’re here if you don’t mind.” She swirled her straw around, distributing the lemon juice evenly throughout the iced water and took a sip before continuing, “I won’t know about the campus position until the week before classes start, I’m not even sure if they’ll accept my work study since I was wait-listed...” She trailed off and took another sip from her water, stabbing at the lemon trapped beneath the straw in the bottom of the glass.

“What about the bookstore, I know you don’t need work study for that.” Mikasa replied with a small smile.

“Hmm… I could try that. They will probably need all the help they can get with the start of the new semester.” She took another drink and smiled around her straw. “I also have an interview for that little café near the market; the boss seemed really nice when I talked to him over the phone, so that’s always an option.”

Armin walked up to the table and sat down just as the waiter was returning to take the girl’s orders. He slid into the booth on Eren’s side and placed his own along with them.

“So do you two want to stop by my place now to drop your things off or go straight into apartment searching?” Armin asked the girls. They both had one bag each, both placed next to Mikasa on her side of the booth in between herself and the wall.

“I’d rather get settled first,” Mikasa offered, “we will probably be too tired to care much afterwards.”

Eren nodded and Armin chuckled. “Then we’ll drop your stuff off first.”

Eren spoke up, “Why don’t we order something to go for your grandpa?”

Armin’s face brightened a bit, “let’s do that, I’m sure he’s hungry by now. I’ll call him and let him know not to make anything.” He got up and stood next to Mikasa, “let me take the bags and put them up while I’m at it, I left my phone in the car to charge anyway.”

Mikasa handed him one bag and then picked up the other herself. “I’ll be right back Eren,” she said before following behind Armin and out of the building.

When the two returned, the waiter had just set down the tray stand so he could begin handing out their meals. Armin thanked him and placed his grandpa’s order to go. The trio ate in a comfortable silence, enjoying the food too much to converse. Following their lunch, they made their way back to Armin’s place, and unpacked their belongings in the guest bedroom. Armin’s grandpa lived on the third floor of the three story town home, which held the laundry room and guest bedroom. Armin lived on the second floor which held the kitchen, dining area, and living area. The first floor held the modest entryway and a garage for the car.

Within the next hour, the girls were unpacked, grandpa had his meal, and the trio had made their way to their first destination. These apartments were the cheapest on the list, but they were the furthest from the campus, it would take a twenty minute bus ride and a ten minute train ride on top of the walking commute for Eren to get on campus every morning. To make matters worse, they were _tiny_ , old, and _filthy_ , but of course, they didn’t find this out until after the tour of the model, which tragically, heightened the hopes of the group from the very start of the tour.

The woman who took them on the tour showed them into the model, which was a decent size, for the price, the appliances were top of the line, black and stainless steel, the countertops were finished with a faux granite design while the floors were made of a high grade linoleum tile. The carpet was a tan color, with multiple color specks throughout, most likely to hide any stains, and the blinds were vertical and plastic. The bedroom was big enough to fit a queen snugly, so it would be perfect for Eren’s loft bed and bookshelf.

It was fairly nice, until the woman showed them the apartment that Eren would be moving into…if she decided to choose these ones. The space was tiny. It smelled like mildew and as soon as they stepped through the door, Eren was ready to bolt. The linoleum was much cheaper, and peeling up in some places, the carpet was stained by what looked like paint and some mysterious brown liquid, the cabinets were scratched and discolored, and the appliances were old, once white, but now yellowed with wear and improper cleaning.  The trio thanked the woman quickly and said that they wouldn’t need to continue the tour and as quickly as they could, bolted to Armin’s car, ready to see anything but that pit again.

* * *

 

Five more stops and a day later, the trio finally ended up at the place that Eren would soon call home. They were called Trost Apartments, and they were by far, the most conveniently located place they had looked at. Eren had come across these from a search she did online, and she was so glad she did.

They were situated next to a lake, with a bricked walkway all around it. There were all different kinds of styles offered as well, ranging from loft styles to more traditional and even a few buildings that were set up like hotels. The price wasn’t going to break Eren’s bank either, it also helped that they were running a new year opening special.

The agent toured the group through several models, which were all around the same price, and asked Eren which style she preferred. She liked them all, and wanted to go with the cheapest one, but on Armin’s suggestion, decided to go for the hotel style one, which was the second priciest of the four models shown. Armin’s argument was that the hotel styled apartment building was much safer for Eren to live in, especially since she lived alone most of the year. All the other apartments required parking in a car lot or garage and walking a fair distance outside to reach the front door, whereas the hotel styled one had an underground parking garage that was pass code protected and an elevator that dropped Eren off right inside her building without having to set foot outside. This would be better and safer for Eren when she was able to get herself a car. The building was also pass code protected from the outside and required a card key to open the area leading to the residential hallways.

 

The building Eren was going to live in had three floors; Eren’s room would be on the first floor, at the farthest end of the hall to the right. It had one good sized bedroom with a full bath, a big, for an apartment anyway, living and dining space, a little porch, and quaint little kitchen. It was large for the price, only $480.00 a month, and most importantly, it was clean. It didn’t smell, it didn’t have mysterious stains, plus it was by the pool, and the train station was only a fifteen minute walk or a 5 minute bus ride away. There were quite a few shops and little restaurants all around; there was even a tiny family owned grocery store. Within the next hour, Eren signed the papers and left her check for the first month’s rent, which was only half of a regular month because of the special. Her place would be ready to move into in a week. All she had to do was rent a truck and see if she could coerce Jean and ask Marco to help her move. He had to be good for something. Next on her list was finding a stable and decent paying part-time.

* * *

 

Eren’s interview at the café went extremely well, the owner loved her. He asked one of the other workers to take her measurements for the uniform and told her let him know when she was settled into her new place so she could begin training. Her starting hourly wage would be $12.00 and she could keep whatever tips she earned.

She still hadn’t heard anything back from the Trost Hotel, so she just assumed they weren’t interested and skipped out on wasting her time in favor of applying at the school bookstore. The manager had her fill out her application and interviewed her on the same day. Eren was hired to start the 15th of the month as a temporary worker with an hourly wage of $9.00.

 

With a new job, and apartment secured, Eren felt a few of the weights lifted off her shoulders as she lifted her tired and soon to be sore body into the passenger’s seat of the moving truck. Armin sat in the driver’s seat, buckled up and ready to leave behind Shiganshina Apartments and head to Eren’s new home a few hours away. Mikasa sat in the passenger’s seat of Marco’s minivan to direct him to their destination if he ever lost sight of Armin. Jean sat in one of the rear seats, napping as they made their way back to Rose.

* * *

“Jean, get off your ass and help me with this!” Eren shouted, exasperated at Jean’s lack of help throughout the move. She was balancing a deceptively heavy box between her body and the wall of boxes precariously perched in front of her inside the half emptied truck. He and Marco, with a little help from Armin and guidance by Eren, moved most of the heavier pieces of furniture, and for that Eren was grateful, but what she was not grateful, happy, or even amused about was the fact that Jean was sitting on the stair steps simply watching her and the others move the boxes into their designated rooms.

He downed the remainder of the water in his bottle before shouting back, “Yea, yea, whatever Yeager. Keep your panties on, I’m not done with my break yet.” He crushed the empty bottle and threw it in a trash bin next to the door before walking over to the back of truck and up the ramp.

Eren’s eye twitched and she turned to give him a nasty glare as he approached. “What the hell was that?” She questioned impatiently.

He smirked at her obvious frustration as he took in the image before him; she was straining to keep the box up, awkwardly positioned between a stack of boxes taller than both of them and the wall of the truck, trying to keep the box in her hand from falling and the tower of boxes from toppling over. He walked over and slipped behind her thinner frame, taking hold of the box as he forced her body forward with a suggestive and playful thrust of his hips into hers.

Eren’s features contorted with annoyance as her face grew red with embarrassment and anger. “Jean what the hell do you think you’re doing?” She screeched as she tried to get out of his hold. She pushed herself off of him, only to be stopped by the dangerous swaying of the boxes overhead. “You’re an ass…” she hissed. She let go of the box and left all the weight to him, ducking out of his suggestive embrace and jumping out of the truck. She looked back to see Jean’s frame shaking with laughter as he adjusted his grip on the box and made his way down the ramp and towards the hallway leading to Eren’s apartment, laughing the whole way. Eren wanted nothing more than to kick his ass as soon as he came back out. As she cooled down a bit from the outburst, she concluded that injuring him could wait until _after_ he’d finished helping her move.

Eren tried to have as little time alone with Jean following the incident for the remainder of the day and into the night as the group completely emptied the truck. Every so often, Jean would catch Eren’s eyes and he would laugh, wink and thrust forward, reminding her of her embarrassingly compromising position. Armin offered to return the truck to the lot and Marco said he would drive him home afterwards while Eren and Mikasa stayed behind to unpack and get settled in. Jean drove himself so he was just going to go home.

As the group said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, Jean to the guest’s parking in the underground parking garage, and Mikasa and Eren into the apartment, Eren offered to take the trash and hurried down the hallway to do just that. She quickly dumped the garbage and rushed to the elevators to follow Jean down to his car. As he was fumbling around for his keys, she walked up behind him and shouted, “Hey horse-face.”

He turned around and raised a brow at her unexpected appearance. He watched as she narrowed her eyes and started to rush towards him. He watched as her fist flew closer and closer to his face, and cringed as he realized it was about to connect with his right eye. He dropped his keys. “What the fuck” he barked, staring at her tightly clutched fist just centimeters away from his eye, “…Eren” he grunted through clenched teeth.

She stuck out her tongue, stepped back and then smirked as she playfully thrust her hips forward once. "Next time I won't stop." She reached down and picked up his keys, then dropped them into his palm. “Have a safe trip home Jean,” she spat, acid and sarcasm dripping from every word. With that, she walked, with a satisfied sway in her step, towards the elevators and back up to her apartment, leaving Jean to think dwell on his previous actions, as he finally opened his truck and forced himself into it, growling and shaking with anger at Eren for her antics and obvious lack of interest in him, but mostly at himself for still hoping that he had a chance.

For the remainder of that Sunday night, and into the early hours of Monday morning, Eren and Mikasa opened and sorted boxes, slowly but surely making more space in the cramped quarters. Eren wanted to have everything done as soon as possible so she could rest up and start at the café before the week was over.

That night, the girls slept soundly and peacefully, letting their sore and tired bodies rest well. Armin and Marco found themselves in a similar state, while Jean’s sleep was rather fitful. In a similar manner, Levi found himself in a fitful sleep, trying to get the images of a beautiful and _young_ brunette with sparkling emerald eyes out of his head. 


	5. The Cleaners

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own SNK, if I did, no one would be dead.
> 
> A/N  
> Thank you so much for reading!

**Chapter Five: The Cleaners**

By the third day in Eren’s new place, the girls, with the help of Armin and Marco, had successfully unpacked and organized the majority of their belongings.

It was early, Wednesday morning when Eren awoke to the smell and sound of sizzling onions and garlic. She rolled out of bed, yawning and stretching, enjoying the feeling of her back popping back into a comfortable position. She lazily made her way to her bedroom door, passing out into the small walkway connecting her bathroom and bedroom, and into the bathroom to begin her morning routine of refreshing and waking up. She paused as she stepped through the bathroom doors and backed up to offer a tired smile to Mikasa, who was reaching into a cabinet for a plate, “g’morning,”she mumbled lazily, “smells great.”

While Mikasa worked on breakfast, Eren took a quick shower and prepared herself for the day. She chose a slightly oversized, yet comfortable fitting dusty rose sweater and her favorite pair of blue jeans. She gave her still damp hair a quick comb through, to lessen the likelihood of tangling and strode into the kitchen to help Mikasa finish up.

The girls ate and cleaned up quickly since Eren's training at the café began today. She grabbed a few of her belongings and organized them in her purse, double checking to make sure she had enough for a train pass and heading towards the door, Mikasa opted to stay behind and finish organizing and cleaning out all the boxes. Eren walked out of the door and down the carpeted hallway to the exit, then down the street to the bus stop, just in time to see the bus pulling up only two stops away.

By the time Eren walked through the door of the café it was 9 AM. She looked around the room and noticed only a few people quietly occupying the corners, some sipping from white coffee mugs while others sipped from paper cups with the café’s name printed on the sleeves. There was a short boy, with a buzz-cut standing behind the counter alongside a pretty brunette with her hair in a messy ponytail. They perked up as she walked towards them, ready to take her order and be of assistance.

Eren smiled as she walked towards them, “Hi, I was wondering if the manager was in?”

The boy and girl look at each other for a moment and then back at Eren, she noted their looks of confusion and quickly added, “his name is Ian, I believe… sorry, I’m new, today is my first day.” Their faces lightened with Eren’s clarification and the boy went into the back saying he would go and find him.

The brunette, whose name-tag read _Sasha_ , escorted Eren around the counter and showed her to a small break room. “You can just leave your bags and things here, we have a uniform so most people usually just wear it to work,” she paused and walked further into the room, towards the back where there was a neat wall of lockers, some padlocked while others were not, “I personally like to wear my own clothes here and back, so I change when I come into work, if you get yourself a padlock then you can take any of the open lockers and just leave your purse and belongings in here,” she paused again and walked out of the room, back out into the main area where the guests sat, “down that hall and to your left are the bathrooms, since we don’t have a changing room, I just change in there.”

She walked back behind the counter and directed Eren to follow her through the doors the boy went through earlier. She paused and extended her hand; “I’m Sasha by the way,” Eren accepted her hand and shook it politely. “I’m Eren,” she smiled. “Nice to meet you Eren, I’m sure we’ll get along great… oh and sorry for rushing through that earlier, I just wanted you to know where to put your things, because the boss will most likely have you dress out today even though you’re in training.”

“No, it’s alright,” Eren added as she placed her hand on the back of her head, “I’m actually glad to be learning right away, I want to get started as soon as possible so I can learn before things get too busy.”

Sasha smiled and lead the way to the manager’s office, the door was slightly ajar and two male voices could be heard from inside. She paused and knocked lightly on the door, before stepping back and offering a low wave to Eren, beckoning her to stand beside her.

The boy stepped out of the office, and Eren took the opportunity to read his name tag too, _Connie_ , ‘hmm, what a cute name’ she thought to herself. Connie walked up to her and extended his hand in greeting, “Hi, I’m Connie, nice to meet you… Eren, right?” He smiled at her as she shook his hand and nodded, “nice to meet you too Connie.” With that, he waved the two off and hurried back out to the counter to wait on the guests while Eren began her training.

The manager, Ian Dietrich, as his name plate read, stood from his chair and waved Eren in. “Welcome, glad to see you back Eren,” he paused and gestured for Sasha to close the door and wait outside while he and Eren sat down, “I trust you’re all moved in and settled now?”

“Yes sir, my friends helped me move this weekend and unpack most of my things, I wouldn’t be able to be here now without their help,” she smiled and looked up to meet his eyes.

“Before we can begin your training, I need to have you fill out a few papers.” He then set a thin stack of papers before her, and a pen on top. “Go ahead and take your time, I’ll leave you here while I go prepare things for you. Sasha will be your training mate, so when you’ve completed everything, I want you to shadow her for the rest of her shift.”

Eren nodded, “Yes sir, thank you.” She then began to read over the paperwork, mostly tax related documents and deposit information. Within the next half hour she’d finished filling out the forms to the best of her knowledge and walked out to find the Sasha waiting for her. She walked over to her and questioned, “Where did Mr. Dietrich go?” Sasha was about to reply when a deep voice spoke first, “I’m right here, and please, Ian is just fine. We’re all friends here Eren, I’m sure you’ll come to learn that soon.” He smiled and extended his hand to accept her forms.

* * *

 

Several hours and a few cleaned up spills later, Eren was left to sweep and mop up the empty café and the kitchen. It wasn’t that difficult of a job and Eren gladly volunteered to stay and do the cleaning so Sasha and Connie could head home a bit early. Sasha had been a wonderful choice for a training partner; she was a little weird in her training methods, but funny, very sweet, and honest with her feedback on Eren’s progress. She also had a soft spot for sweets, and whenever a pastry or a waffle came out too burnt for serving to the guests, she was the first to volunteer to eat it. Eren found it incredibly cute, and was a bit envious of how much she managed to eat and still maintained a such nice physique and beautiful complexion. Eren made a mental note to ask her about her beauty routine later, because whatever it was, it worked.

Finally done up with mopping the public area, Eren made her way to the kitchen to finish up and then put the cleaning supplies away. She popped her head into Ian’s office to see if he wanted her to do anything else for before she left and he dismissed her with praise and words of encouragement for her first day on the job. He said he would have her name added to the schedule and in the system by the next day, so she could come in and see when she worked and clock in and out like the others who worked with her.

Eren stopped into the break room and grabbed her clothes to change. She made her way to the bathroom and regarded herself in the mirror before stripping out of her uniform and into her regular clothes. Both uniforms for the men and women were brown smocks with large chocolate buttons down the front, like a double breasted coat, they both had a white button down collared shirt and either a brown bow tie or a just a regular tie along with a cute brown beret which was optional, but preferred. Eren’s uniform was fitted at the waist and flared out in an ‘A-line’ skirt shape down her hips and stopped three inches above her knees. The buttons were rounded and held the imprint of a rose on each one. She’s chose to wear the silk bowtie and the long sleeved button down with rose lapel pins and cuff-links. She also decided to wear the beret, just to get herself into the spirit and groove of the café.

She exited the bathroom and hung up her uniform smock and folded white button down to take home to wash. Popping into the back one more time to say goodbye to Ian, she left the café and walked back to the station. She took her time, knowing the train wasn’t coming for at least twenty more minutes, so she perused the shops illuminated by the streetlights. It was already dark; Eren checked her phone to see that it was already past 9 PM. She decided to spend her time waiting at the train station in case she managed to draw some unwanted attention wandering the streets at that hour. She began to hurry along, slowly increasing her pace as she got closer and closer to the station.

She paused however when the light of a shop caught her eye, the words _Dry Cleaning_ were illuminated in blue, with a neon red hanger drawn around them. That’s when Eren remembered being _loaned_ a certain jacket by a certain short and somewhat distant man… loaned that is, almost three weeks ago. She stopped walking completely as her eyes widened in horror upon realizing that she still had his jacket and that she hadn’t even made an attempt to get it back to him. She began to walk again, this time her thoughts filled with possible apologies and gifts she could offer him to help ease, what she was sure, by now at least, was a going to be an uncomfortable and tension infused meeting. She kept trying to remember where she put the jacket and where she could have possibly put his calling card. With no way of contacting him, even if she managed to get the thing dry-cleaned, it was unlikely he would be getting it back anytime soon. With a heavy sigh, Eren hopped on the train and sat in a corner, thinking about the possible ways of making this impossible situation work.

* * *

 Levi awoke to the sound of harmoniously synced beats, repeating over and over, gradually getting louder until he pulled himself from the center of his bed and stretched to dismiss the alarm on his phone. He rolled over, and threw off his duvet and sheet cover leaving his bare chest exposed to the cooler air around him. If the alarm wasn’t enough, the sudden exposure to the cold definitely was. He shifted his legs off the side of his bed and pushed himself up into a sitting position, before stretching and popping his back. He reached for his phone and looked at the time, seeing in small bright white letters 8:03 AM, he placed it back down and hurried over to his bathroom to brush his teeth and get dressed in his warm jogging gear.

Following his morning jog around the lake, stretching, and short weights session, Levi showered and downed a smoothie to soothe his growing hunger. He checked the time again to see that it was still early. He decided to do some cleaning and then head down to his favorite little café to enjoy a well made cup of tea and a banana and yogurt berry waffle while he read one of the new books he purchased during an after Christmas sale.

Two hours and a 10 minute car ride later, Levi found himself outside the little café, just parking his car. He walked up and through the doors, relieved to be out of the chilly air and also to see that there was no line for him to wait in. He strode over to the counter and paused, taking in the oddly familiar silhouette of the woman currently facing away from him. She had shiny brown hair, pulled to one side in a messy ponytail, slightly tanned skin shown by the bit of her neck that was exposed as she leaned forward, concentrating on whatever she was doing, slight but sturdy shoulders and slender waist that lead to a little curve at her hips. He decided he’d waited long enough and walked closer to the counter; he looked to both sides of it and realized that she was the only one working.

“Ahem.” He voiced expectantly, waiting for the girl to turn around. And when she did, he felt his eyes widen a fraction.  ‘Hmm, so it was her,’ he thought to himself as he waited for her to recognize him, though he doubted she would immediately, based on their previous meeting.

 

A sound filled with impatience and tinged with annoyance woke Eren out of her stupor. She had been cleaning out one of the coffee machines as practice while the other workers were on break. She turned around, already pink from not noticing the bell chiming to signal the arrival of a guest, and hurried up to the counter, eyes averted downwards. “S-sorry about the wait,” she said quickly, “how can I serve you toda-” she stopped speaking when she finally looked up… rather down at the customer in front of her, her mouth agape and eyes wide with surprise and a little bit of fear.

‘Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.’ Rang through her mind as she watched the man before lift a brow, questioning her reaction and silently waiting for her to respond. She tried to compose herself and thought back to the name on his card, at this point she needed to be as formal and polite as possible, so simply calling the man ‘Levi’ would be too rude and familiar. She sucked in a breath of air and spoke.

“O-oh hello again, Mr. Ackerman… I…” she paused and swallowed, willing her nerves down so she could talk without sounding _too_ guilty, but of course that calming only served to clear her mind completely, making her blank and ask, “what are you doing here?” before blanching and mentally kicking herself for the obvious answer. ‘You’re at work idiot, he’s a guest, what do you think.’

He let a small smile play on his lips while he watched her fidget nervously and go blank. ‘Kinda cute,’ he thought. “Actually I’d like to order a large Earl Grey, loose leaf, and a banana berry waffle with the yogurt on the side.” He smirked again as he watched the wheels slowly turning in her head as she processed his request and began to type his order into the machine.

She blushed and told him his total, rang him up and gave him an order number, all the while trying to avoid eye contact. She breathed a breath of relief as he quietly walked further away from the counter, but stiffened when she realized he chose the next closest seat to it. He sat in a corner, placed his elbow on the table and rested his head in his hand while he looked on and at Eren, smirking while she tried to avoid his heated and teasing gaze.

She quickly began to prepare the tea; she pulled out a large china cup, and a strainer that fit right over the top. She grabbed the loose leaf canister for the Earl Grey and caringly placed a few teaspoons into the strainer before pouring the hot water over the leaves and setting a cover over the cup to let the tea steep and maintain the its warmth. She then directed her attention to the waffle maker. She set the time on the griddle, poured the amount in just like Sasha showed her, and closed the griddle, flipping it for even spreading and cooking of the batter. While the waffle cooked, its timer counting down, she grabbed and cut a fresh banana into slices and cut two strawberries in half. She lifted the finished waffle off the griddle and placed it on a clean and dainty square plate. She then garnished the waffle with the banana, strawberries, and a few raspberries and blackberries on the side. She placed the dish on a tray, then placed a healthy dollop of vanilla yogurt into a side cup and placed that on the dish next to the waffle. She then checked on the color of the tea, it was just about dark enough, so she removed the lid and carefully lifted the strainer setting both in the sink and the freshly made cup of tea on the tray along with the waffle.

He watched for a few moments, just to make sure she didn’t botch up his drink. He relaxed and then pulled out his book to read, leaving the little order number marker visible and out of the way on his table. He didn’t notice her come up until she was already setting the tray down on the table in front of him. He smiled to himself, thinking that it was rather quick service and admiring the quality of the display before him. Sometimes the kids just throw things on the plate, not even bothering to make it look nice, there have even been a few times where they didn’t even put his yogurt on the side. He looked up at her and said, “Thank you…and you can just call me Levi.” 

“R-right,” Eren mumbled, completely embarrassed, “I’m so sorry about not returning your jacket. I will get it back to you soon, I just dropped it off at the cleaners this morning so-“

He cut her off with a wave of his hand before she could finish her explanation, “It’s fine. I have plenty of them, it’s not like I missed it.” He took a sip of the tea, surprised by how the flavor was bolder than before. “This is good.” He said quietly, half hoping she didn’t hear it and half hoping she did.

“Really? I’m so glad, that was my first time making it by myself and I was so nervous.” She let out a relieved breath, letting a small smile show upon her lips.

“Hmm. I thought you were new. I come here all the time and I’d never seen you here before.” He then moved on to try the waffle, cutting a corner off and puncturing a berry before dunking it into the yogurt. He hummed as the treat hit his tongue, the flavors dancing harmoniously with each other, perfect compliments of the sweet and chewy waffle with the tart and juicy flavor of the berry and added sweetness of the vanilla yogurt. “This is a damn good waffle too. I’m impressed.”

Eren clapped her hands together excitedly, not expecting the praise, this was her first time getting feedback from a customer on something she did by herself, so she was very, very excited and appreciative of it. She started without thinking much, “Um, if you wouldn’t mind coming again this Friday, I get off earlier… I,” she paused a moment to form the words before letting them escape her impulsively run mouth, “I would like to treat you, you know, as an apology for taking so long to return your jacket, and I can also give it to you then. I lost your contact information when I moved up here, so I wasn't able to reach you.”

Levi let the invitation sink in a moment before answering, “Alright, I’ll be here, say around 2 o’clock?”

Eren thought for a second and nodded happily, “Yes, that’ll be good.”

“On one, no, make it two conditions,” he continued, “one you have to make what you’re treating me to, and two, don’t bring my clean jacket here, who knows what will get on it.”

He paused for a moment and pulled out a notepad, scribbled something on it and ripped it out to hand to her. “Here’s my number, just call me when it’s ready and I’ll go pick it up myself.”

When he finished with his statement, the bell chimed, signaling that more guests had arrived and that their conversation was over. Eren pocketed the number and nodded before hurrying back behind the counter, a new confidence showing as she took the orders and got to work on them.

 

After an hour and half had passed, Levi decided it was time for him to grab a nice meal and head home to finish his book. Just as he was ready to leave, he thought back to his earlier conversation, and the agreement he made. He remembered how much he liked to see the girl blush when she was flustered or embarrassed and smirked, patting himself on the back for the new, albeit childish, idea that popped into his head. He pulled out his wallet and pen again, and scratched a neat note, tucking a few ten dollar bills and the note under the empty cup before getting up and leaving, without sparing Eren another glance.

* * *

 After her fiasco with Levi, Eren got through four more orders on her own before Sasha returned to help her out. While Sasha manned the counter, Eren went out and started cleaning the tables of the people she’d serviced. When she got to Levi’s table, she noticed a white slip tucked neatly under the tea cup. She placed the cup and dish on the tray, quickly pocketing the note and going to the back to wash the dishes.

Once she was finally finished cleaning, clocked out and changed, she started towards the train and caught it just in time without having to wait much in the cold. She sat down and relaxed into the seat, remembering the note; she reached into her pants pocket and pulled it out.

She was surprised to see the bills that fell out, she counted them, confused as to why they were there, before putting them into the side pocket of her purse. There were three ten’s. He’d left her a thirty dollar tip. She smiled and blushed, thinking that his tip was well over the standard 10 or 15% tip rates, it was well over the price he even paid for the meal. She set her attention back on the note, reading the neatly printed script.

_I changed my mind and the conditions again. Deliver it to this address._

~           _Levi_

Eren nearly fainted when she saw the somewhat familiar home address written out in a more legible manner than the original scrawl left on his business card. After retreating to the employee break room, she folded the note and placed it in the pocket of her purse, letting out a frustrated sigh. The rest of her day went on relatively uneventful, she finished cleaning and made her way to the train, tired, and ready to go home. Thinking back to the note in her purse, she thought, ‘This week just got a hell of a lot longer,’ as the train approached and came to a stop, allowing the next influx of commuters on and off at their desired destinations. Eren lay back in her seat, thinking of how she ended up with such a sickly strain of luck.  


	6. Patron

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own SNK, if I did, no one would be dead.  
> A/N  
> Thank you so much for the feedback, I hope you enjoy the latest chapter.

**Chapter Six: Patron**

Levi began to stir with the first light of dawn, early Friday morning. Before his alarm could even go off, it was silenced, and he was up and stretching to prepare for his morning jog. Feeling a bit hungrier than he usually did, he stopped in his kitchen to snack on a protein bar, washing it down with a sports drink.

In his delay, the first light of morning had long since passed, the sun was already past the horizon line. He secured his music player to the strap on his shoulder and placed the ear buds in, ready and motivated to run longer and harder than he had done earlier in the week.

He made his way out of the small entryway and into the open aired hallway that he shared with the other inhabitants of the newest addition to the loft styled apartment complex he lived in. He took his time, walking through the narrow hallway then down the stairwell and onto a sidewalk that led to the lake’s walkway. Once his feet touched the large bricks that made up the walkway, he began his jog, going slow at first then steadily increasing his speed as his muscles warmed, until he finally set a challenging yet maintainable pace.

He appreciated the cool air as he ran through it, helping to cool his body down as he pushed himself to work harder and go a little faster. Once he’d made it to the other side of the lake, he slowed his pace slightly, returning to a steady jog long enough to take a drink of water without spilling it all over the sidewalk. After a few good swigs, he returned to the more grueling pace and maintained it until he reached his starting point. He again slowed down to a light jog so he could catch his breath and take a few more drinks of water.

By the time he made it back to the opposite side of the lake for the second time that morning, he had allowed himself to come to a brisk walking pace, stopping to sit on one of the benches near the public entrance. He decided to take a five minute break on the bench. He finished the remainder of his water while he looked around at the few other morning joggers and dog walkers who decided to join him. He sat, panting lightly until his breathing returned to its normal rate.

 As he pushed himself off the black metal bench, he turned and heard an electronically produced female voice announcing the arrival of a train. He paused and watched the train stop, allowing a few people in business suits to exit as they hurried out and towards an awaiting bus, and then it announced its next stop and started off. As the train started moving, so did he, but this time only a normal walking pace all the way back to his apartment.

After a long, well deserved shower, Levi emerged from the bathroom, hair still damp and slightly dripping while he made himself a light breakfast. Opting to let his hair air dry, he walked out of the kitchen and sat on a stool on the other side of his island to eat his breakfast. He cleaned and set all the dishes on the drying rack to put up later, then directed his attention to the little office nook that held his laptop and a few of his old course guides and texts from previous semesters.

 He decided to revise the reading materials for his students, making the list a bit smaller this semester. Less to grade, and a lot less bullshit for him to have read through for those who were forced to take his class and clearly didn’t give two shits about it. He decided to lighten the reading load for his upper level courses as well, he just needed to decide what was the most important to include and what could be left as optional extra credit assignments. He sighed and stretched while he waited for his laptop to wake up, taking the opportunity to start a pot of hot water for tea.

After fixing himself a cup of chamomile, to soothe the headache he was sure to give himself, he sat and checked the time, so he could gauge how long to work before he decided to take a break and visit the café, to keep his promise to the jade eyed beauty who offered to treat him. He smiled to himself, thinking how pleasant it would be to have a well made cup of black tea, he was also a little excited thinking about what she was going to treat him to.

 

He shook his head to rid himself of thoughts of her perfect and supple cheeks blushing from embarrassment and began to go through his course guides, picking out the most important topics and compiling a list of what could be completely removed from the curriculum and what could stay as extra credit.

* * *

As Eren dressed herself for work, she couldn’t help but let her eyes wander to the plastic wrapped suit jacket, hanging on her closet door. She had an internal squabble with herself about whether or not to just save the trouble of having to deliver it herself and take it with her to work against Levi’s request and suffer a tongue lashing, or just suck it up and follow through with his orders. Although it was really tempting to be scolded by him, she figured that it was probably best not to get on the bad side of someone who could possibly end up being her professor during her next few years at Rose University.

She checked the time on her phone and hissed, letting a quiet “shoot” slip past her lips. The bus was going to be there soon, and she hadn’t even had breakfast yet. Mikasa had gone out with Armin before Eren even woke up, they were going to pick out a few winter essentials and the ‘early bird sale’ only lasted until 1 PM so they wanted to get there before the rush came.

Eren hastily finished getting ready, hurrying to the pantry to grab a granola bar and mini water bottle before rushing out of the apartment, just barely managing to lock it in her haste, and down the hall towards the bus stop.

She arrived just in time for the bus to spot her, slowing and stopping on the side of the street to let her in. The rest of her commute was smooth, she arrived a little earlier than she was scheduled to, but not so much that it perturbed the boss.

She and Sasha shared a similar shift, so Sasha was assigned as her training partner for the day once again. Today, Eren would learn how to prepare the brunch waffle plate. Since it was relatively quiet, Sasha opted to begin training her immediately, leaving Connie to service any guests that might come through in their absence.

“Okay, I know this looks intimidating, but it’s really not.” Sasha pulled out a menu to show Eren what the plate looked like. “Each item has a fair amount of ingredients, but it’s easy to put together once you get each individual piece.” She pointed to the salad on the picture, the part that took up the most space on the plate, and handed the menu to Eren while she walked around to the fridge to pull out the ingredients, making sure Eren was watching so she knew where to get them from and where to put them back. Sasha then pointed Eren to the sink, where there were three boxes of green colored, disposable gloves, sizes small to large. She washed her hands and then slipped on a pair of small gloves.

“The salad is just a mix of greens, don’t worry too much on getting a certain amount of any type of lettuce, I literally just grab a decent handful and position it on the plate… just make sure it looks nice.” With that, she took a handful of the mixed lettuce leaves and placed them in a neat row on the large square plate. “Next, you need to add the toppings…these can pretty much go in any order so it really doesn’t matter as long as the dressing is last.” Then she got a healthy bunch of sliced almonds between her gloved thumb, index and middle fingers, caringly spreading them over the lettuce. She did the same with the roasted pecans and sundried cranberries. The last topping was a white, crumbly cheese, which she put in a more generous amount than the others. “We usually put halved cherry tomatoes too, but Ian hasn’t been satisfied with their quality lately, so we’re just skipping that for now.”

Eren nodded, taking a mental note for later reference, she laughed a little to herself, thinking how nitpicky Ian was. He was a wonderful manager, and she felt lucky to have this job.

“Last,” Sasha continued after returning the other ingredients to the fridge, “You top it with this caramelized balsamic sauce. And don’t worry about having to make this yourself, we have a chef…you haven’t met him yet, but I’m sure you’ll see him soon, who comes in at the start of each week to make our sauces and mixes for the gelato.” She punctuated her sentence with a generous and neat drizzle of the chocolate colored sauce over the neat row of salad.

“Oh wow, that smells amazing” Eren said, mouth starting to salivate from the thick and sweet smell of the dressing.

Sasha only nodded, swallowing to prevent herself from drooling over it as well. “Y-yea.”

“So how do you make this?” Eren asked, pointing to the little white ramekin with egg inside of it.

“Ah, that’s called the egg cocotte, and we make it in the oven. It’s actually really simple.” With that, Sasha went over and gathered up the ingredients again, setting them out on the counter and grabbing a clean white ramekin. “First, you butter the bottom and sides, otherwise it’ll be really hard for the guest to get it out if they don’t want to eat it in the ramekin.” She did so, neatly buttering up the sides and bottom , then set the butter to the side and picked up a few loose leafs of spinach. “You place the spinach first, and then some shredded chicken over it.” Next she got a small handful of a white cheese mixture, “you cover all of that with a nice layer of cheese and then crack a whole egg over everything.” She rinsed off her gloves after cracking the egg, to get the raw gooey substance off of her hands, returning with slightly wet gloves hands. “Then add a little bit of cream over this and a pinch of salt and pepper for seasoning, Ian is a stickler for appearances, so go ahead and add some chicken or parsley as garnish on top of everything… basically, just make it look nice.”

Sasha then turned and showed Eren how to operate the little oven then got a small pan and filled it with warm tap water, setting the ramekin in the center and then placing the whole thing in the oven to cook.

“Usually regulars will tell you how they like their egg when they order, some will say runny and others firm, for a runny yolk just leave it to bake for 6 minutes then let it broil for a minute, and for the firm or well done yolk, leave it to bake for 10 minutes and let it broil for a minute or two… it’s really your call on that unless they specify though.”

“Okay, thank you… though I just want to apologize now because I know I’m going to ask you about that a few times before I remember it.” Eren offered a sheepish grin and Sasha smiled back at her.

“Yea, I figured as much. I was the same way.”She laughed a small laugh then pointed back to the picture on the menu Eren still held, “This is the honey, toast, which is exactly as it sounds. You just grab a nice thick slice of toast, put it in the toasting oven and then butter it up with the honey butter.”

“So the waffle is the same as a normal right? Or is there a special batter I need to use for that?” Eren asked, pointing at the last item on the plate.

“No need for anything special, it’s just a regular waffle without any toppings… So…think you got the gist of that?”

Eren studied the plate and compared it to the picture for a few seconds before looking up and smiling brightly at Sasha, “Yea, I think I’ve got it just fine, thank you for helping me again. You’re a great trainer.”

“Thanks Eren, you’re a pretty great trainee too, you’re learning a lot faster than Connie and I did when we first started, I’m really impressed, and I know Ian is too. You’re doing great!”

“Thanks Sasha” Eren said, allowing herself to smile a full toothy grin.

* * *

The rest of their shift passed fairly slowly. The rush coming right about lunch time, and then quickly dying out as it neared time for Eren to get off.

Sasha noticed the nervous and somewhat frantic glances Eren would grace the entryway with every time she heard the bells chiming, signaling the arrival or departure of another guest. With close to fifteen minutes before her shift was over, and still no sign of Levi, Eren was distraught.

‘Alright, I need to calm down. Why am I getting so worked up about him not showing? I just wanted to treat him to a nice late lunch, it’s not like he promised to go on a date with me or anything… he’s probably busy. He’s a professor, and classes are starting soon, of course he’s busy you idiot. It was probably stupid of me to invite him out anyway… oh wow… what is wrong with me, why am I still thinking about this?’ These thoughts played through her mind as the clock drew closer to two thirty. ‘He said he’d be here at two o’clock, it’s already fifteen minutes passed that… almost twenty now he’s not going to show…just forget about it… why am I so worked up about this?’

Her inner dialogue continued, distracting her, and preventing her from noticing the small and casually dressed figure slipping in and sitting in his corner. Observing her and laughing to himself as he thought about how distressed she looked. ‘So childish. She probably thought I wasn’t going to show…cute.’

A not so gentle nudge in the ribcage from Sasha jolted Eren out of her negative mental stupor. She then noticed the intense and amused gaze coming from a certain patron who sat in a familiar corner. Eren’s eye twitched in annoyance when she saw it, ‘Did he just smirk at me? I bet he showed up late on purpose...’ Though she wore an annoyed look on her face, she was happy to see that he actually kept his word and showed.

She explained to Sasha what the situation was and Sasha gladly offered to ring her up and help her prepare the waffle brunch they had worked on together earlier in the day. With Sasha’s help, Eren was able to finish with a minute to spare before her shift was over. Sasha worked until four, so she offered to take the brunch and the cup of Earl Grey prepared by Eren to Levi, while Eren went to clock out and change into her regular clothes.

Several minutes later, Eren was walking out of the bathroom feeling somewhat refreshed and ready to see the look on Levi’s face when he tried the dish. As she approached the corner table, she thought about topics of conversation. She hadn’t really considered what to even talk to him about when she extended the invitation to meet, so she nervously rattled her brain in an attempt to find anything interesting she could talk about. ‘School? Well I guess, but he’s a professor so I’m sure he’d be bored… and I don’t even go to Rose yet, maybe I could ask him a few questions? That could work. Hmm, what else? The weather… well yes how do you find the weather lately, I think it’s been cold. Yes, imagine cold in the winter. Conversation win, nice going that will make me seem _real_ intelligent, great work Eren.’ She mentally slapped herself and sighed in defeat as she finally rounded the corner and stood next to the table, pausing a moment to offer a shy smile and a nearly whispered “Hi” as she pulled out the chair opposite of Levi to sit down.

As graceful as always, she knocked her knee into the side of the table, jostling it and nearly spilling the tea and small water cup. She flushed and quickly planted her bottom down on the seat, sitting in an awkward and even more nervous position. ‘Ugh, what’s wrong with me? Just act normal for once!’ She mentally berated herself and then offered a quick apology with her eyes downcast, then looking everywhere but Levi.

Levi had to struggle to not laugh at her little display, opting instead to sneer at her, “You alright there…?”

“Y-yea, sorry about that…” She turned to the side and took a deep breathe before returning her gaze to Levi and studying his features. He had fine lines around his eyes and a few around his mouth, probably from the way he seemed to always look uninterested and bored. His skin didn’t look tired or old… but it didn’t really have that radiant youthful glow of someone in their early to mid-twenties either. So maybe… late twenties, early thirties would be pushing it… but he is a professor so he had to at least gotten his masters… and that’s at least eight years in school.

Eren’s thoughts and the brief awkward silence that invaded the space between the two were interrupted by Sasha, who placed a waffle with whipped cream and neatly placed strawberries and a paper coffee cup in front of her. With a lift of her brow and a _completely_ sophisticated “Huh?” escaping her lips, Eren looked first at Sasha, who offered nothing but a wide, toothy grin before leaving their bubble, then she turned to look at Levi, who opted to ignore her questioning stare in favor of putting a forkful of salad into his mouth.

“Mmm,” his eyes widened a fraction as the flavors of the salad medley danced across his tongue and melded together. He swallowed and tasted another bite of the salad, before trying the egg cocotte.

Eren’s embarrassment and annoyance at being made fun of and essentially ignored faded away the moment she saw the subtle change in Levi’s demeanor. The hint of satisfaction in his voice, the slight widening of his eyes, and the small slump he allowed in his shoulders as he relaxed into the environment. She paused a moment longer to study his reaction, happy with herself for being, at least part of the cause of it.

She gingerly took a sip of the coffee cup, delighted and surprised at how sweet it was, there was also a faint flavor of vanilla, present and strong enough to taste, but not enough to overpower the slight bitter taste of the coffee itself. She smiled and looked up from her cup, greens eyes meeting sharp gray ones, locking for a moment before he spoke.

“I take it you’ve never had a vanilla latte before?” He posed the question and took a sip of his tea.

“Is that what this is?” Eren asked, pointing to the cup in her hand, “It’s really good, and no, I haven’t.” She paused again and looked back to the waffle, “Did you order these too?”

“Hmm, I figured you would like something sweet.” He smirked at the light blush, slowly returning to her cheeks as she glanced down and took another sip of the drink, “And yes, it would have been rude of me to be the only one eating. This is great by the way. I’ve never had it before.” He directed his gaze back down to the plate, “the egg is a bit too runny for my taste though.”He poked at it and watched as the yolk slowly spilled over the contents of the ramekin.

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time…” she paused and quirked an eyebrow at the grown man playing with his food, “aren’t you a little too old to be playing with your food...?” She jeered at him, hoping to get a rise.

“Please do.” He quickly replied, adding a glare that sent chills down Eren’s spine. “Watch it with your words, _brat_.” His voice quieted at the end of his statement, as if he was a bit insecure about his age… but Eren couldn’t really tell.

“So how old are you anyway?” Eren asked, wanting to steer the conversation away and hopefully get rid of Levi’s sullen face. “I think it’s only fair you tell me since I told you.”

“That’s unfortunate because the world isn’t fair, next question.” He replied without missing a beat.

‘Obviously his age is a soft spot, whatever, I can come back to it… maybe… wait why do I care so much. Eren just stop it, okay moving on.’ Her brows knit together as her thoughts wandered off again, reading too much, or not enough into the situation.

“So, if I remember correctly, on your business card it said that you’re a psychology professor, what classes do you teach?” Eren asked, honestly curious and thinking that she worded the question well enough.

Levi’s blunt and unamused reply was simply, “Psychology.”

His bored expression had returned and his attention went back to finishing off the salad and waffle and last bit of the toast, leaving the yogurt aside for a snack later on.

“Well I knew that-“

“Then why did you ask?” He looked up and raised his brow at her, as if she was the dumbest person he’d ever met.

“What I meant was what courses, as in, the class titles, not the subject. I didn’t think I had to be so specific.” She let out a huff and took a generous bite of her own waffle, getting a little whip cream on the side of her mouth.

“Not thinking is going to hurt you now, and later on in life.” He said it in such a steady manner that Eren didn’t notice the way his eyes fell to her lips, partially parted as she let her tongue slip out and sweep over the corner where the whip cream had previously been. She also didn’t notice the inaudible gulp he made as his eyes ventured back up to her own. “I usually teach upper level courses for Psychology majors, Developmental and Physiological, this semester I’m going to be teaching General Psychology too.”

Eren rolled her eyes at his ‘not thinking’ statement and sighed thinking ‘that’s not what I meant but sure.’

The two continued on, back and forth, Levi correcting Eren’s word choice and commenting on her reactions, while Eren became progressively more interested in learning more about Levi, or psychology… or Levi and psychology. They bantered on into the early evening, until Eren noticed that daylight was fading far faster than she wanted. Usually welcoming the darkening of the sky, since that meant the end to her day and beginning of rest, she found herself wishing that the daylight would last longer, so she could stay and talk more with Levi.

After one of the many pauses their conversation held, Levi turned away from Eren and looked out of the window, seeing the streetlights begin to flicker on, as the sky darkened. He sighed and said, “It’s getting late, we should be both be getting home, I have things to do and I’m sure you do too.” He stopped, and thought about his words, deeming them a bit too harsh for what he originally intended to be a good natured end to their time together. “This was fun, thank you Eren.” He hoped adding that would brighten the dulling mood of the girl, rather, young woman, sitting before him.

“You’re right… I’m sure Mikasa’s worried, I didn’t think I would actually enjoy talking to you so I told her I would be home a little while ago… hmm I’m surprised she hasn’t called me yet.” Eren said this as she pulled out her phone, again, not really thinking about the words that came out of her mouth before they were already gliding past Levi’s ears.

“Oh? What, did you think I would just be a boring old man?” He raised his brow, this time challenging Eren to speak against him.

“N-no that’s not what I,” she put her hands up in defense, then hid her face in them, cradling her heated cheeks with her palms, letting out a muffled, “Ugh, never mind.”Her hands did little to hide the redness that spread to the tips of hers ears as Levi let out a small chuckle.

“Alright, alright, I think I’ve teased you enough for one day,” he pushed himself away from the table and stood up from the chair, grabbing his and Eren’s empty plate and cup and taking them back over to the counter for boy on shift to clean, he returned to the table just as Eren was standing, ready to throw her disposable paper cup in the trash. He took the cup from her and gestured to the door, “Come on, I’ll walk you to your car, it’s dark now.”

Eren gathered her things, pulling her coat over her shoulders and getting ready to greet the cold winter air. “Um, no it’s fine. I ride the train… I don’t have a car at the moment.” She added, glancing away, slightly embarrassed, but not enough to let her cheeks become colored.

Levi stared, regarding her for a moment before turning and walking towards the door, with Eren following in suit, “Then I’ll take you home.”

They’d already walked out of the café, standing to the side of the entrance, “What? Oh no, it’s fine really, I ride the train all the time. It’s sweet but no thanks.” Eren denied the invitation as politely as possible, ‘I’ve already usurped a few hours of his time and now he wants to drive me home? No, this was supposed to be my apology… he even treated me.’ Her mental tirade began, but was quickly shut down by Levi’s next words.

“It’s late, and it’s dark. There’s no way in hell I’m letting you wander around with only the light of these crappy ass streetlamps. Come on.” With that, he turned and walked towards the fairly full parking lot.

Having left no room for argument, Eren begrudgingly followed behind the short and forceful male. She was surprised when they stopped in front of the Coupe. She wasn’t expecting such a nice car. Levi walked over to the passenger side and opened the door for her, gesturing for her to get in with a tilt of his head before closing the door and going around to the driver’s side.

“This is really nice.” Eren said, her eyes wandering around the inside of the vehicle, sitting in the black leather seats which hugged her almost non-existent curves, cradling her in comfort and sleek sophistication. The all black interior was accented well with the brushed aluminum details. It had that new car smell, and feel, like it was fresh from the dealership, clean and neat.

“Thanks,” Levi said as he smiled at her wide and wandering eyes, “buckle up brat. And please, try not to drool on my interior, I just had it cleaned.”

“I told you I’m not a brat! My name is Eren… so kindly use it.”She sounded a little more annoyed than she intended, but let the thought fall out of her head as he started the car and ripped out of the lot.

“Alright _Eren_ , where to?”

Eren’s emerald orbs reflected a smirk of pure evil, the look of a demon that was all too happy to scare the hell out of anyone he came across. She learned the hard way, not to piss Levi off if he’s going to drive, especially in his own car. The only solace Eren found in, what seemed like a mad dash to hell, amidst the blaring horns and angry drivers, was at the few stop lights and stop signs that Levi was obligated to _at least_ slow down at, in order to reach her new home.

By the time she got out of the car, she was a mess of nerves, her legs felt like jelly and she didn’t think she’d ever be so happy to walk again. She vowed to never let Levi drive her around again… or least not to piss him off before getting in a car with him.


	7. The Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own SNK, if I did, no one would be dead.
> 
> A/N  
> This is a bit longer than I originally intended. I hope you enjoy!  
> Thank you so much for the subscribes, bookmarks, and kudos :3 They make me smile in public places and make people think I'm loony <3

**Chapter Seven: The Dark**

It was bright, the sun already high in the morning sky, when Levi decided to get out of bed. There was only a little over a week remaining of break before he had to return to his semester routine of waking up barely before the sun rose in order to get his morning workout done before heading off to the campus to make himself available to any curious or confused students. He decided that, at least for the last few days remaining, he would get as much sleep in as he could; he’d more than earned a few lazy days and would work hard enough during the next semester to earn even more of them.

He made his way to the bathroom to freshen up and begin his day, deciding to take a quick shower and have a nice breakfast instead of his usual morning run. ‘I’ll just go to the gym later, I have to change it up a bit sometimes.’

He walked out of his shower, towel hanging loosely around his waist, hair still damp, but not dripping, and made his way to the kitchen, slipping on a pair of slippers to prevent his feet from touching the cold slate-tile floor.

He strolled over to the coffee machine, pulled out the pot and filled it with water; he then poured the clear and cool liquid into the reservoir on the side of the machine. He put in a filter and a few scoops of ground coffee beans. He closed the opening and switched the machine on, replacing the empty pot on the burner. He then moved over to his pantry and pulled out a neatly wrapped almond croissant, one of the last remaining from a batch he’d made earlier in the week.

He walked back across the kitchen, croissant still in hand and pulled out a plate to set it on. He then proceeded to clean and cut up some fruit to finish his breakfast. After the coffee was finished, he poured himself a nice steaming cupful and sat down at his dining table to enjoy his small but satisfying breakfast.

After cleaning the dishes he made his way back to his bedroom to change into something other than a towel and pick out a book to occupy his time for a spell.

He sat comfortably in his living room; feet kicked out on the dark gray velvet chaise and back propped up by the cushioned back with a few extra throw pillows for added comfort. He had a large white fluffy blanket thrown across his legs and feet as he settled into a comfortable reading position, which he would remain in for the better part of the day and into the early evening.

The clock on the wall to his right showed the time to be approximately 2:45 PM. It was then that Levi decided to put away his book and begin preparations for dinner. ‘I should do something that can cook for a while so I can head to the gym for a bit.’

 

He decided on a making an oven roast, preparing it with carrots and onions and leaving it to cook in the oven on a low temperature while he got ready and left for a quick workout at the complex’s gym.

* * *

Eren and Mikasa had been cleaning the apartment all morning, having finally finished unpacking, they were faced with an abundance of tape, packing popcorn and paper, as well as bits and pieces of cardboard boxes littered all over the floors. It was well past noon by the time the duo deemed their task satisfactory and complete.

Armin had called while the girls were having breakfast, before their cleaning process had begun. _“Mikasa, would you and Eren like to join the guys and I for lunch and a movie?”_

“We would, but Eren and I already decided to clean today, if we keep putting it off it will never get done, and then the semester will start and we really won’t do it.”

_“Oh… I could come over and help if you want?”_

“It’s alright Armin, we’ll manage just fine.”

_“Haha, alright, I believe you. What if we do dinner instead?”_

“Hmm…” Mikasa pondered and pulled the phone from her face, addressing Eren, “Eren do you want to go to dinner later with Armin and the guys?”

Eren was about to reply with a yes, before she heard the part about _the guys_. “Who all is going?” was her simply response.

“Armin, who else would be going?”

 _“Ahh, well Marco, myself obviously,”_ He let out a small chuckle and continued, _“and Jean...”_

She pulled the phone away from her cheek again and told Eren, who responded that she wasn’t interested and told Mikasa to go ahead and have fun.

“Well, I’m in, but Eren’s not interested, maybe another time with just us three?”

 _“Hmm… alright, I’ll let them know!”_ He paused before continuing, _“Is Eren alright?”_

“She’s fine, just tired.” Mikasa covered for her, knowing full well why Eren didn’t want to go but deciding to keep it to herself, lest it cause problems later on for their group of friends. “I’ll see you later, we need to get started soon,” Mikasa stated, “bye Armin.” She then turned the phone over to Eren who replied the same goodbye before both friends ended the call.

“Are you gonna be okay being alone for dinner tonight?” Mikasa questioned Eren, who was setting the phone on the table and gathering their empty dishes.

“Yea, I need to run a few errands anyway, so it works out just fine.” She walked the dirtied dishes over to sink and began to wash them, ‘I can finally take him that jacket and be done with this,’ she thought as she scrubbed the remains of their breakfast off the cheap porcelain plates.

“Well, Armin’s going to come pick me up, so let’s ask him to drop you off at least?”

Eren thought about it for a moment, considering that it would be easier for her to be dropped off at his doorstep than it would be to ride the train all the way there, all the while trying not to crinkle the jacket. “Yea, that’d be great actually.”

The duo divided, Eren cleaning the kitchen and the bathroom while Mikasa worked on the laundry and the floors, each making a pile of boxes and trash to be thrown out before either left the apartment. Once they finished, they each took turns showering and then getting dressed to go their respective places. Armin arrived at 4:00 PM on the dot, stalling his truck right outside the apartment building, waiting for Mikasa, and not expecting to see Eren, but delighted when he did.

Eren explained the situation, and Armin happily agreed to drive her to the address she’d entered into the GPS. The ride to Levi’s place was filled with the low murmur of the radio and the occasional interruption of turn by turn directions in the mechanical voice of the GPS. The trio joked and decided on meeting up later in the week for a pizza, junk food, and bad game night. Soon, the computer generated voice announced the arrival of their destination and Eren was out of the car and on her way to Levi’s building. She’d waved her friends off as she headed towards the building, plastic-wrapped jacket hanging from one hand while her phone was in the other.

She walked around the entire building twice before finally entering the, somewhat hidden stairwell up to the second floor, she wandered down the hallway and realized that the numbers on the door were all 1000 less than the number she was given. She walked back to the end of the hallway and the stairwell, climbing up one more flight before repeating the process, only this time with success.

Eren paused in front of the door, ‘…I really should have called him…what was I thinking?’ She then took a deep breath, to rid herself of her nerves and building anxiety before lifting the hand that had previously held her phone, and lightly rapping it against the door.

She waited a few moments for a response, and decided to turn her hands, so the knuckle now faced the door, knocking a little harder.

Still no response. With one more deep breath and a slow exhale, she tried again, knocking even harder. Nothing.

“Ugh.” Eren let out an audible and displeased sigh. ‘I really should have called, of course he’s not home. Way to go Eren.’ She turned, facing away from the stairwell as she searched through her phone, locating the contact ‘Levi’ and pressing down to call it. After a few rings, it went to voicemail and Eren hung up, turning back one last time to knock before giving up and heading home.

“Try knocking a little harder; maybe my neighbor will let you in.” The sudden and familiar sound of Levi’s voice echoed down the hallway and right into Eren’s ears.

Her eyes widened and she turned, taking in a sharp breath as the words she was about to speak stopped at the end of her tongue. Mouth agape, she took in the sight before her.

His hair was wet, small beads of sweat gathered along his hair line while a few drops were dripping down the sides of his slightly flushed cheeks. There was a small white towel draped over his shoulders, hiding the majority of his neck from view, and what a view it was. His shirt, clung even closer to the curves and contours of his muscles due to his perspiration, every bit of his hardened muscle shown down to the barely visible ‘v’ shape made by his well formed oblique muscles.

As her eyes traveled lower, a familiar blush brushed across her cheeks stopping after gently caressing her ears. ‘W-wow… he’s really…wow.’

Levi let her observe his form for a moment longer before letting out an annoyed grunt and pulling out his keys, making sure to make a little more noise than necessary to break the silence that’d fallen over them. As much as he wanted to enjoy her red-faced and honest admiration of his body, he would really like to shower and change into clothes that didn’t smell sour and weren’t dank from sweat.

The high-pitched jostling noise of the keys was almost enough to bring Eren out of her trance like state, almost. She was completely brought out of it by Levi’s next words. “I’m sure the view is nice, but I’d like to get into my apartment now,” he paused and walked closer, reaching around Eren and putting the key into the lock, turning it and opening the door, “if that’s okay with you.” He added as he pushed the door open wider, gently nudging Eren to step forward and into his loft.

Before Eren could protest being gently pushed into the man’s home, Levi had already turned around and locked the door.

“U-um-” Eren started.

“Take off your shoes and leave them here.” The quick order cut off Eren’s speech.

Levi walked further into his loft, leaving a hesitant and somewhat confused Eren in the entryway near his kitchen. He turned to address her, “Come on in, make yourself comfortable… but don’t touch anything.”

“O-okay.” Was Eren’s quiet and shy reply.  

 “I wasn’t expecting you; otherwise I would be more presentable than I am now. You’ll just have to wait for whatever you wanted.” With that, he turned and headed towards his bathroom, leaving Eren to wander around and look at his loft, or at least the living and dining areas.

The first thing she noticed was the delicious smell that filled the air in his apartment. It made her mouth water and stomach rumble lightly.

She removed her shoes and slowly walked towards his living area, admiring his taste and style. The first pieces of furniture she noticed were the love seat, chaise lounge, and the chair. All three were a deep gray color, made out of, what appeared to be velvet. Eren hesitated before sitting on the edge of the love seat, not entirely comfortable with being _in_ Levi’s home. ‘I was just going to hand him his jacket… and leave… how did it end up like this?’

She admired the sharp edges and clean chic design of the furniture and few pieces of décor that filled the room. The walls were painted such a dark gray that they almost looked black. A sleek 42” flat screen hung, mounted on the wall right across from Eren’s chosen seat, next to it on either side were round, starburst mirrors that were silver and contrasted well with walls. The coffee table was short, black, and rectangular. There were several crystal candle holders set across the center of the table, each holding a thick black candle.

There was one end table in between the love seat and the chair that was square and made of the same material and style as the coffee table, there was a silver, vase like lamp with a cylindrical wide shade that sat atop it. The other end table was more like a small sculpture, it was somewhat intricate. Upon further inspection however, Eren realized it was a simple design, two pieces of wood with one piece on the top to hold the two below it together, and there were three of these structures, varying in size, that were tucked one right under the other as the size gradually increased. They were painted with a silvery metal-like finish. On top of the tallest structure, there were a few dark spined books, neatly stacked.

Eren’s curious gaze next fell on the dining area. The table was simple, rectangular and black with sleek chrome legs jutting out from underneath it. There were four white chairs, of a similar design with the chrome legs, set in pairs on either side of the table. There was a small sculpture of pair of overlapping wings in the center of the table. The wings looked like they were blowing in the wind, the effect made by expertly crafted bends of the edges. One wing was white with a silvery edge to it, while the other was a deep cobalt blue with the same silver edge.

To either side of the table, there were two tall potted plants. The pots were white, just like the branches and leaves of the artificial trees emerging from them. Eren got off the love seat, laid the jacket on the chaise and wandered closer to the plants. As she got nearer, she noticed the slightly iridescent shimmer that each leaf held, and she reached out to gently caress one between her fingertips.

After removing her curious fingers from the fake but beautiful foliage, Eren walked back towards the living room, but stopped when she heard the shrill beeping of a timer going off. Alarmed, she looked around for the source of the noise and realized that it was coming from the kitchen. She walked around the island and realized that whatever Levi had in the oven was done. That’s when she finally noticed that the pleasant and delicious smell was coming from his oven.

She quickly surveyed the machine, pressing a few buttons experimentally and successfully turning off the beeping. She then searched for an oven mitt, locating two right next to the stove top. She slipped them on and gingerly opened the oven door, relishing in the familiar scent of roast filling the air, she carefully grabbed the sides of the pan and pulled it out and set it on a ceramic pot holder. She then closed the oven and began to remove the mitts.

Levi chose this moment to walk out, freshly bathed and clothed in a pair of comfortably loose fitting jeans and a burgundy polo.

“I’m sure I said not to touch anything.”

“A-ah…sorry, it’s just that the oven was beeping and I-“Eren’s startled reply was cut off by Levi’s next statement.

“But I did say to make yourself comfortable.” He paused and smirked as he got closed the distance between himself and Eren, “though if you wanted to cook for me, you could have just asked.”

He walked over and bumped Eren to the side with a gentle push of his hip against hers. He lifted, the cool foil to look at the dish, and then waltz over to the sink to wash his hands get a fork. He returned to Eren’s side and poked at the roast to see if it was completely cooked through, satisfied with the results he replaced the foil and put the fork in the sink.

Levi walked over to his fridge and collected a several items and laid them out on the counter space opposite Eren. He then grabbed a cutting board, knife, and bowl, setting those next to the small pile of veggies he’d collected.

Eren watched curiously as he did this, until finally he turned and spoke, “Wash up and make a salad. I don’t care how you make it and you can use anything up here.” He gestured to the spread of leaves and other vegetables as well as a few fruits occupying the counter space. “I’m going to start plating the roast.”

He then moved from his spot, back over to where Eren was and began to do just as he’d said.

It took Eren a few more seconds to process what was happening before she walked over to the sink and began to blindly follow his order to prepare salad. ‘I can’t believe I’m making him a salad right now. Couldn’t he have made it himself… unless, well I guess he did really like how I made it at work so it’s understandable. But still, he hasn’t even asked what I was here for and to just put me to work as soon as I come in… well I wasn’t really supposed to come in….’

She hadn’t yet fully grasped that she was silently invited and had accepted to have dinner with Levi. A few moments of quiet settled between the two, the only sounds were of the blade hitting the cutting board and the serving spoon breaking apart and serving the main dish.

When Eren was satisfied with her salad, she gave it a quick toss and then rinsed off her hands and her cutting aids. She then gathered up what remained of the ingredients and put them back, where she thought they went, into the fridge.

Levi observed Eren throughout most of her preparation, he let a pleased smile settle on his lips when he watched her clean up the space and then proceed to put away the ingredients. ‘I guess she is making herself at home. Huh.’

He walked their plates over to the table and set them, one across from the other on the end closest to the kitchen. Eren noticed this, and followed him over to the table with the bowl of prepared salad in her hands.

“I finished it.” She looked down at the table, confused for a moment, “Um… wait… why are there two plates?”

The look Levi gave her made her wish she’d never opened her mouth. His sarcastic and somewhat didactic reply was, “Well, that would be because we, you and myself,” he gestured between the both of them, “are about to sit down,” he paused and pointed at the table and chairs, “and eat dinner.”

Eren deadpanned, lips drawing into a thin line as his sarcastic and somewhat dramatic display set in. Her lips began to quiver, trying to hold in the laugh that was soon to erupt.

Levi’s face remained its straight and stoic mask as he spoke. He noticed the slight quiver in her lips and let a smirk settle on his face.

The smirk was too much for Eren to handle. She burst, arm clutching her side and hand over her mouth as a few waves of laughter washed over her frame. She looked up at Levi, eyes watering from being scrunched together so tightly. He was smiling, not widely, but enough to let the top row of his perfectly straight and pearly white teeth show, his eyes were narrowed, allowing smooth creases to form around them as he directed his gentle gaze down to Eren, who’d bent over during her fit.

Eren’s small laughing fit was stopped there, letting her hand fall from her mouth as it fell slightly agape while she stared at beautiful and gentle smile being shown to her. She quickly straightened up, closing her mouth and letting her hand wander up to her fringe, nervously playing with it with her fingers. She felt her cheeks heat and cast her eyes downward.

Levi hadn’t expected Eren’s laugh to be… well anything really. It wasn’t sexy, sultry, or anything like that, yet he found himself attracted to it, and wanting to hear more of it, it was… cute. Purely and completely cute. Just like Eren was.

He was almost disappointed when her laughing fit ended, _almost._ The glow that colored her cheeks and the nervous twirling of her hair, more than made up for the sudden lack of her laughter. He really liked seeing her flustered face, her regular face, her laughing face… he just liked her. Amidst his thoughts, somewhere in the back of his mind he thought, ‘I wonder what other faces I could get her to make for me.’ A thought not totally innocent, but not completely full of baser desires either. It was simply a statement, made to his subconscious, one that would guide his actions and interactions with Eren from then on.

* * *

The two sat and had a quiet dinner. Neither speaking much after their little display earlier. The first few minutes of their dinner were tense, mostly due to Eren’s uncertainty of her and Levi’s relationship. They’d only really talked three times, well, four including her current situation, yet here she was, in his home, sitting down at this kitchen table, eating a meal they had both prepared.

‘I guess… what should I say, this is turning awkward. I guess I can compliment his cooking, because this roast is amazing… but no, that’s too boring.’ She paused her inner monologue to look up from her plate; she quickly looked back down and then busied herself with the glass of water, nearly draining the entire glass in one drink. ‘Oh no he’s staring at me.’

Well, it could be called staring, but Levi would have called it admiring. Yes, that’s exactly what he’d been doing, and mainly the reason why he hadn’t spoken for the first quarter of the meal. He was admiring Eren. The way her hair split perfectly down the middle of her face, framing her tanned and softly formed features. The way her plump mauve lips would form little ‘O’s’ as she parted them to put the next bite in, and the way her tongue would dart out to lick up any sauce or dressing that soiled them. And her eyes. Those eyes. They were large, bright, and full of life. It was like she’d embedded jewels into her irises, they almost sparkled like she had. When Eren turned, sometimes hints of blue and aqua would show through, and then other times they would appear to be a brilliant turquoise or jade or emerald. There were even little flints of gold adorning them, like they were one of the most beautiful treasures in the world. At this point, Levi certainly thought so.

It was then that he chose to break the silence, “Your eyes are beautiful Eren.” He was satisfied to see them widen further, her plump little lips parted more and her fork freezing midair as the lovely flush he’d grown to crave crept and settled on the apples of her cheeks.

“O-oh, thank you.” Came her shy reply. She lifted the water glass and brought it up to her lips, pausing right before she took a sip, “Yours too… I’ve never seen gray eyes like yours before.” She drowned her embarrassment with the last of her water, and in her nervous haste, let some of it spill past her lips and down the side of her chin, slowly trickling down her neckline and disappearing under her sweater at the collar bone.

Levi’s pupils dilated, as he watched the thin trail of liquid seep from her lips and go downward. He felt his throat become dry, and had to take a good drink of his own water before clearing his throat and handing Eren a napkin.

“Here, use this.”

“Haha…thank you.” Eren offered him a sheepish grin and wiped up her little spill. She set the napkin in her lap, just in case she spilled again.

Levi stood up and walked towards the kitchen, “I’m getting some more water, do you want some?”

“S-sure!” was Eren’s timid reply, followed quickly by a “thank you.”

Just as Levi was closing the fridge, all the power in the space went off. The blinds were shut and the curtains were drawn over them, leaving the pair plunged in almost complete darkness. The only light was coming from the small peep hole from Levi’s front door.

“L-Levi?” Eren’s shaky voice broke the silence.

“Yea,” he felt his way around the kitchen and made his way back over to the table, gently setting his hand on Eren’s shoulder. He felt her jump and stiffen at the contact, “It’s alright, just stay here, I need to find my flashlight.”

“Okay.” Her voice was steadier now, feeling a bit better with human contact. “You can use my phone if you can’t find it.” She offered, digging her phone from the pocket sewn into her sweater.

She placed her hand atop of his and pulled it off of her shoulder, turning it so that his palm faced upward, and set the device inside of his opened hand. She cradled his hand a few seconds longer than necessary, and then released the gentle hold she’d had on him.

“Thanks, this will work just fine.” He pressed the button at the top of the phone to wake it and light up the screen, using this light, he found his way to his bedroom and then to the circuit breaker installed into his bedroom wall.

An old friend of his from high school and into college was a designer, and she’d practically begged him to let her decorate his home for him. He trusted her and her taste was excellent, he enjoyed the look of his place and he really appreciated Petra’s talent. However, at that moment, he was really annoyed with the fact that the circuit breaker had been hidden by a piece of artwork. He let out an annoyed huff and set the phone on his dresser, then he tried to remove the painting pretty much blindly. He managed to do so and was annoyed again when he to grope around for the phone, since the screen timed out and locked again.

He finally found it and woke it back up. He set to work on resetting the circuits that had been switched. After a few more switches had been flipped, the lights and the power came back on. With a relieved sigh, Levi walked out of his bedroom, leaving the painting to lean against his dresser, in case it happened again like it has before, and made his way back to Eren.

“Thanks, and sorry about that,” he handed her back her phone and resumed refilling their water glasses.

“You’re welcome… and what was that?” she paused and then added a quick, “thank you” before taking a sip of the water.

“This building is only a few months old. They just finished construction on it about 5 months ago.” Levi began his explanation. “I’ve been with these people for a while, so when they offered to upgrade me for around the same price I’ve been paying, I happily accepted. It’s brand new, so it’s clean which is nice, but they built it too fast. It’s a great place, don’t get me wrong, but whoever did the electrical work here did a shitty ass job.”

He waved his hand around in the air before continuing, “that has happened a few times before, twice in one night too.”

“Oh… that’s really odd. What causes it?” Eren asked, curiosity peaked.

“When the electrician came in, he said it was because the wires were loose. It’s not an immediate hazard or a danger, and it doesn’t happen often enough to disrupt my life, so they are taking their sweet time to come in and fix the damn thing.”

Eren noticed the more Levi spoke, the gruffer his language became. ‘He must be really comfortable right now’ she thought to herself, letting a small giggle escape.

“And what exactly do you find funny?” Levi asked, eyebrow quirked as he began to clear their emptied plates.

“Huh? Oh. Haha.” Eren realized she’d giggled out loud. “Sorry, it’s nothing.”

“Hmm.” Came the unconvinced response.

“Well, it’s just that… well I couldn’t help but notice that your word choice is… well… more casual. I was thinking that maybe you’d grown more comfortable around me or something… like that…heh.” She followed him to the sink, and grabbed a dish towel. “Can I help?”

Levi smiled at her words as he turned on the water, letting the warm liquid fill the sink a little less than halfway before adding in the dish washing liquid. He then got to work on scrubbing the dishes clean. “Sure, just rinse and dry them.” He gestured with his head for Eren to stand next to him and turned the faucet with bubble covered fingers towards the empty sink basin for her to rinse the dishes with.

The two go to work, Levi washing and Eren rinsing. Once they finished that, Eren switched to drying while Levi put away the dishes. He appreciated the brunette’s help and was more than pleased with her willingness to clean. Eren then made her way back to the living room, having remembered what she came there in the first place for. She picked up his jacket and walked back over to Levi, who’d just finishing putting his broom away.

“U-um here. I’m sorry it took so long, but thank you very much for lending it to me.” Eren offered the jacket to him, which he took and lifted the plastic to inspect it.

“How much was it?” He asked tersely.

“Hmm?” Eren gave him a confused look. ‘How much was what…?’

“How much did it cost you to have this cleaned,” he lifted the jacket and shook it a little for added emphasis on ‘this’.

“Oh, I don’t remember,” Eren said honestly, “it wasn’t more than ten dollars though.”

“Okay.” Levi said, he left the area and took the jacket back with him, towards where Eren presumed was his bedroom. He returned a moment later with a twenty dollar bill.

“Here,” he offered it to her, raising a brow when she declined it, “to cover the cost and for the trouble of brining it all the way over here.”

Eren refused again, shaking her head and putting her hands behind her back. “No it’s really okay! Like I said, it wasn’t more than ten bucks and you even treated me to dinner so really, I owe you.”

Levi smiled at this, retracted the cash, and folded his arms across his chest. “Hmm, you do owe me huh?”

“Um, yes…?” Eren’s looked at him with confusion, wondering what exactly he was getting at.

“So you agree, good.” He set the bill on the table and then motioned for Eren to follow him to living room. He invited her to sit, and she sat in the same the love seat she’d been in before, this time her arms were crossed over the front of her body, her frame slumping slightly, feeling a bit nervous for what was to come.

Levi sat on the same small sofa, on the opposite end of Eren, throwing his arm across the top allowing his fingertips to just barely brush then ends of Eren’s hair. He crossed his legs and directed his gaze to her. “So then, how about you make it up to me?”

Eren’s eyes widened as she thought, ‘oh my God I’m such an idiot of course this would happen to me, he lends me his coat, gives me nice tips, lets me stay for dinner… ahh, breathe Eren, breathe. He hasn’t even said what he wants yet, just play along.’ Her anxiety was building, unnecessarily so.

“How?” was Eren’s dumb response, she wanted to bolt for the door and hide for how stupid she sounded.

He paused, like he was thinking through his options, the smile of the demon Eren had seen the night before returned to his face and she felt herself holding in her breath.“How about lunch and movie?” He stated, letting his amused demonic smirk stay, enjoying the look on Eren’s face far too much to stop himself. “My treat.” He added quietly.

Eren obviously didn’t hear the last addition because her tension dissipated at his request. “Okay, that sounds nice. Um… when did you want to do this because I have work at the café and I’m starting another job at the bookstore this week?”

Levi turned to face the flat screen, letting his head rest against the sofa while he thought. “When are you not working…? Or do you get off early any day this week?”

“I’m off from the café on the weekend I only work until 2 at the bookstore Saturday.”

“Alright, I’ll pick you up from your place at 3 then?”

“Okay, that sounds… good.” Eren smiled and looked over to Levi, who was still facing the wall. “Well, it’s getting kinda late and I want to get home before the weirdos come out.” She stood from the sofa, taking note of the soft plush rug beneath her feet, ‘I didn't notice this before, it’s pretty.’

Levi got up and followed her to the door, grabbing his keys and a light jacket from his coat closet. “Alright then, let’s go.”

“Huh?” Eren looked down at the short man like he’d suddenly grown 4 feet taller.

“I believe I told you that I wasn’t going to you, especially someone as clueless as you, wander around this late. Put your shoes on brat I’m taking you home.”

With a dramatically indignant huff, and a small pout her face, Eren put her boots on and followed Levi out of his loft and into his car. After she’d sat down and buckled herself in, she recalled the night before and quickly reached out to grasp Levi’s hand before he put the keys in the ignition. “Please… please don’t drive like that again,” she said, eyes watering as she tried to force her best puppy eyed pout, she even let her lip quiver a bit, “it was really scary and I don’t think my body can handle that again… not so soon at least.”

‘And it was hard walking, my legs were so wobbly.’ Eren thought… well, at least she thought she’d thought to herself.

“Oh? Sorry I scared you.” He paused and gently squeezed her fingers, which she realized were still wrapped around his hand and quickly retracted them back to her lap. He turned the key in the ignition and started the car, letting the seats warm up for a few moments before adding, “next time I make your legs _wobble_ , I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”

Before Eren could process his suggestion, or realize she spoke her thoughts, he backed up and ripped out of the parking lot, on his way to a soon to be familiar route between his home and Eren’s.

 

 

 


	8. Date Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own SNK, if I did, no one would be dead.
> 
> A/N   
> I’d like to thank you so much for all the subscribes, bookmarks, kudos and comments. I really didn’t expect to get so much feedback. Thank you so very much and I hope you enjoy this chapter, even though it’s so short.  
> Also, I’ve noticed several comments from people who are concerned about the professor x student pairing of this fic, to help relieve any anxieties you may have over that, I just want to let you know that, yes it is frowned upon, but is perfectly legal and possible given a few conditions which vary from school to school.

**Chapter Eight: Date – Part One**

“Eren, you can go ahead and take your break now if you want.” Mylius spoke, walking up behind the daydreaming girl. “Eren?” He quirked an eyebrow and poked her arm, trying to bring her back to reality.

“Hmm?” she replied, “what’s up Myles?”

He looked at her a moment before replying, “It’s Mylius, and I said you can take your break now, the store isn’t too busy and I’ve already put away all the book shipments from last night so I can take over register duty for now. Log out so I can take over your station, and don’t forget to clock out before you start your break.”

Eren looked at him a moment, making no indication of leaving her station, “I’m actually alright, I want to get off a little early today anyway so I’m just going to skip out on break.”

Mylius quirked his brow and stared at her for a moment. “Did you just decide that or have you already talked with Mrs. Shadis?”

Eren took in a deep breath. “I let her know before I clocked in this morning.” She stopped and sent him a glare, “since when did you become the keeper of my schedule anyway?”

“Eren, no offense, but you’re new here. I just want to make sure you’re following proper protocol. No need to get offended.”

Eren rolled her eyes and turned away, facing back out towards the empty bookstore. “Thanks, I’d say I appreciated the help, but I really don’t so I’m not going to lie. Look Mylius, Mrs. Shadis paired me with Mina, and unfortunately she’s not been feeling well, so I’ve been told to go directly to either Mrs. Shadis or Rico. So if I need clarification or guidance on anything, I’ll just ask them, because no offense, you’re new too.”

“I’ve been here for a month.” Mylius countered.

“And I’ve been here for half a week, while Mina’s been here for two years, and Rico and Mrs. Shadis over ten. So I think it’s better that we _both_ go and ask those who have been here, hmm, I don’t know, over a year and have actual experience. Don’t you think?”

Mylius gave her a nasty look before returning to the back of the store to reorganize the already ordered books and their tags.

‘He can be such a jerk sometimes, what the hell.’ Eren thought. ‘He’s been really rude to me ever since I started here.’

She walked around the counter and went into the back to grab a pen and blank paper pad before returning to the storefront, where the snacks, drinks, and common needs products were located. She began taking inventory, first of the drinks, then the candies, snacks, and everything else in the aisles. Her process was interrupted several times by confused customers or overly concerned parents who either wanted every book used or every book new for their freshman students. These were the kinds of interruptions Eren liked because she got to guide people through the store and actually have decent conversation with them, and she generally didn’t have to force herself to be pleasant or fake a smile.

The other interruptions, which Eren would gladly go without any day, were made by Mylius, randomly drilling her on what goes where and how to do certain things at the register and how to place this here or that there and what where. The only thing keeping Eren from snapping at him, was the thought that each moment she spent wasting away with Mylius chirping at her ear, was one moment closer to being able to spend time with Levi.

When she thought about him, she couldn’t help but feel giddy and silly, like a young girl crushing for the first time middle school. Little butterflies would invade and flutter around her insides when she thought about sharing another meal with him, and when she thought about his perfectly parted, and undoubtedly silky black locks, or his piercing gray eyes, or his perfect complexion… and his body.

She stopped as she thought back to his appearance outside the apartment, the way his shirt clung so closely to his contoured and cut torso. She felt her cheeks heating up and had to quickly flush the image out of her head by thinking back to her earlier interactions with Mylius, which completely killed any pleasant feeling she’d just had.

As the bookstore neared closing time, Eren began to feel more nervous and excited. She began to mentally rake through her closet in hopes of putting together a few options so she could have as much time to get ready as possible when she got off. Unfortunately, the shipments that weren’t scheduled to arrive until Monday, were walked through the door on an obnoxiously large excuse for a dolly. Ten boxes and only four people in the store, well two regular workers, the accountant Rico, and the manager Mrs. Shadis, which actually equated to Eren and Mylius doing all the un-boxing and sorting before they were released to go home.

The arrival of this shipment meant that Eren, despite already getting permission to leave right at 2 PM, now had to stay and help Mylius unload all the books from the boxes, record their arrival, and sort them into their proper place on the shelves. This also meant that Eren would be away from her phone for the better part of the next two hours, and into the third, when Levi texted her to let her know he was on his way to her apartment to pick her up. It wasn’t until five minutes after 3PM that Eren was able to gather her belongings and clock out, before checking her messages.

_2 missed calls – Mikasa, Levi. 3 messages – Mikasa, Levi, Levi._

Eren momentarily ignored the message sent by Mikasa and skipped straight into reading Levi’s.

 **[Received 2:45 PM] Levi:** _I’m leaving in 10 minutes. No need to rush, but don’t be alarmed when you hear a knock._

 **[Received 3:03 PM] Levi:** _Hey, I’m outside. You didn’t answer when I called so I’m just going to wait in the car. Come on out when you’re ready._

Eren paled. Looking at the time on her lock screen then back at the message. She quickly dialed his number as she raced towards the train station.

_“Hello?”_

“Levi, I’m so sorry, I’m running really late, there was a shipment that came in and I couldn’t just leave and now I’m so behind and I’m really sorry I’ve made you wait.”

_“Eren? It’s alright. Where are you right now?”_

“Yes, um, I’m almost at the train stop near the campus. I’ll be there soon, sorry.”

_“No, it’s alright. Okay, turn back and wait in the lobby, I’ll come pick you up.”_

“Huh? But wait-“ the call was ended and Eren stood at the crosswalk between her campus grounds and the pathway to the train station for a moment before turning around and walking back towards where she’d just come from. Dragging her feet and feeling guiltier with every step she took.

 

Levi was waiting in the parking lot nearest to the lobby within 6 minutes of his call. After one more quick call to let her know he was there, and another 2 minutes of waiting, the pair were on their way back to Eren’s apartment so she could freshen up and rid herself of the sweat she’d worked up from rushing to get home.

* * *

 

The car ride was silent, Eren was too ashamed to start a conversation with Levi and the only thing she was able to say during the short ride was, “Sorry” several more times until he told her to stop apologizing. Levi didn’t speak because he could sense the waves of frustration emanating from Eren’s awkwardly stiff form.

As they neared the complex, Eren instructed Levi to pull into the parking garage so he wouldn’t have to wait in street above ground, where he’d previously been waiting for Eren. When she got out of the car, he hesitated for a moment debating whether or not to wait or go with her. His internal dispute was solved by Eren’s quick and quiet words, “You can come wait inside if you’d like, I might be a little while because I need to shower.”

She closed the door and slowly made her way towards the elevators, waiting for Levi to join her, which he did within a few quick moments of him exiting his Coupe and making sure it was locked. Eren guided him towards her modest apartment, silently thanking the Creator for Mikasa’s earlier message which told Eren that she was going out with some friends who’d come back already and wouldn’t be home until much later in the night.

Eren nervously searched in her purse for the key and the fumbled it a few times before she actually got it into the lock and unlocked the door. She walked in first, then left it open to allow Levi in. He nodded curtly and politely removed his shoes at the makeshift entryway to the living room and kitchen.

“Would you like anything to drink while you wait?” Eren asked while she slipped off her shoes and walked into the cramped kitchen space.

“A water is fine, thanks.” He responded, following behind and accepting the cold bottle from her. The kitchen barely had enough space for both of them to fit, so he had to walk out before she could leave the cramped room.

“Well, feel free to make yourself at home,” she paused and gestured to the cheap little sectional and sad excuse for a living space that paled in comparison to Levi’s chic and mature style. She looked down, a little pink coming to her cheeks when she thought back to just how beautiful his home had been, and just how cheap and tacky hers was. ‘Well, at least it’s clean’ she thought. “I’m going to make this as quick as I can, sorry about this Levi.”

With that, she hurried towards her bedroom, grabbed her robe and some underwear to change into after showering then hurried back to her bathroom to start her bathing process.

She let the water heat for the better part of three minutes while she quickly brushed her teeth to rid her mouth of the odd flavor and dryness of nothing that comes from not eating all day. With her breath minty fresh, she undressed and hopped into the steaming stream of water, letting out a “Ack” when she realized she’d let it get too hot.

Her body quickly adjusted to the heat and she grabbed the bottle of shampoo and lathered up her hair, rinsing and repeating one more time for good measure, but mostly to make sure any smell of Mylius that managed to seep into her cuticles was removed. She then poured and layered a generous amount of peach scented conditioner and molded her hair to sit on top of her head while she started to scrub down her body.

She’d only been in the shower for about eight minutes when she deemed herself clean enough and leaned her head back to rinse the conditioner out. She was feeling okay, despite her lack of eating through the day so far. She was fine, until she quickly dipped down to grab her moisturizing, and lightly scented body wash. That’s when the dizziness set in, and the nausea was soon to follow it.

This was Eren’s normal routine, shampoo, condition, wash, shave when necessary, then rinse out the conditioner and do one final wash with a more expensive and fine smelling product so that the conditioner wouldn’t clog her pores and cause any body blemishes to surface, and her skin would be softer, cleaner, and smell much better than cheap drugstore brands of body wash.  

What was not a part of Eren’s normal routine was the hot temperature of this particular shower, and fact that she hadn’t eaten all day, not to mention missing out on dinner the night before in favor of cleaning. In her excitement about lunch, she’d completely forgotten to eat any breakfast or even have a small snack, she'd even skipped out on her break, and she was regretting it now, as she turned the stream of water off and weakly walked out the shower, trying her best not to move too quickly because of the strong nauseous feeling that set in.

Her body was overheated and weak and all she could think about was laying down. She sloppily threw her towel on the tiled bathroom floor and lowered herself, as slowly as she could, to lay on the towel and try to will away the feeling of sickness that had taken over her body.

She managed to loosely wrap the towel around herself, leaving most of her back and her legs completely exposed to the steam filled bathroom. ‘Breathe Eren, breathe’ she repeated the mantra to herself, trying to slow her rapidly beating heart and will her body to cool down so she could breathe normally. The trapped steam, from her too hot shower, continued to roam in the enclosed space, making it all the more difficult for Eren to breathe and cool down.

She lay there for what seemed like hours to her weak and woozy body, but in reality was only about ten minutes. She closed her eyes and hoped that the feeling would soon pass so she could get off the floor and at least put on her bathrobe. She didn’t dare try to raise herself from the curled up fetal position she’d pulled into, she didn’t want to risk feeling even more dizzy and lightheaded than she already was.

While Eren lay on the bathroom floor, trying to recover from her foolish string of actions, Levi sat, impatiently tapping his black socked foot against the cheap beige carpeting in Eren’s living room. ‘I need to pee. What the hell is taking her so long; I heard the shower stop, what, ten, fifteen minutes ago?’ He looked around the room as he leaned forward and placed each elbow to a knee, while he tried to distract himself from the pressure building in his lower abdomen.

“I really need to piss.” He said again, this time out loud as he impatiently looked back to the only bathroom in the cramped apartment. He stood up and began to pace before deciding to just go and ask Eren if he could interrupt whatever she was doing and use her toilet.

He stood in front of the white door and looked at, what he believed, was one of the crappiest excuses for a paint job he’d ever seen. He narrowed his eyes at the uneven strokes and little bristles of the cheap paintbrushes that were left behind. He then returned his attention to his original purpose and raised his hand to lightly rap against the sorry excuse for a door.

“Eren, sorry to bother you but can I use the bathroom for minute?” He questioned quite bluntly and calmly, despite his nearly desperate need to relieve himself.    

He waited a moment for a response, and furrowed his brow even more when he received nothing. He tried to knock again, this time a bit harder and few more times than before.

“Eren?” he paused, and the continued, “Is everything alright? Are you even in there?” When silence was his only reply, he moved his hand down to the door knob, and turned it experimentally. ‘It’s unlocked.’ He noted. He pushed it open just a sliver, and felt the warmth from the escaping steam glide across his hand and towards his face.

“Eren?” he tried once more, with the door slightly cracked, “are you okay…?” he opened the door a fraction of an inch more, allowing more steam to escape as he stood there confused as to why there was still steam if Eren wasn’t in the bathroom, or had already left it. ‘No, that doesn’t make sense, I would have heard her, I’ve been in the living the whole time and she never came out.’ A sickening feeling hit him in the pit of his stomach as realization washed over him, ‘She never left the bathroom, and she’s not responding.’

He then tried once again, “Eren, I’m coming in,” and pushed the door open fully, allowing all the trapped steam to escape and stream across his face, partially obscuring his view from the curled form of a woman laying on the cold tile floor he now stood on.

“Eren!?”

 


	9. Date Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own SNK, if I did, no one would be dead.
> 
> A/N
> 
> Wow nine chapters already? I can’t believe a little over a month ago I was too scared and nervous to write; now it’s so relaxing and fun. Thank you for all the feedback, I really hope you are all having as much fun reading this as I am writing it! <3
> 
> Angst and fluff ahead. Whoop whoop.

**Chapter Nine: Date - Part 2**

“Eren!?”

Levi shouted, narrow eyes widening in surprise and terror when he was able to clearly see her. He rushed over to her side, placing one of his cool hands on the back of her neck and using the other to check for her pulse right under the junction between her chin and throat. He let out the breath he’d kept in when he felt her pulse, but narrowed his eyes in concern when he felt how strong it was, too strong, too high. Her pressure seemed too high for someone so young. He quickly surveyed the room for signs of what could have happened.

‘Did she slip and hit her head?’ he moved his cool hands to check over her head and face. Seeing no lesions and feeling no bumps, he concluded that she hadn’t hit her head. He caught sight of a bathrobe and stood from his crouching position to grab it and gently covered Eren’s bare form in the fluffy white material. He’d managed to work one of her arms into the sleeve and loosely wrapped the rest of it around her as he picked her up, carried her out of the bathroom, and laid her onto the sofa he’d previously occupied. He slipped her other arm into the sleeve and tied the robe at the waist to cover her body.

“Eren?” He tried again, hoping he’d get a response. He placed his cold hands on her cheeks, ‘she’s burning up,’ and then removed them as he hurried to the fridge so he could pull a cold bottle of water out, in hopes that the cool liquid would help to lower her body temperature.

Levi swiftly made his way back to her side and placed the cold water bottle right under her jaw.

“Eren?” He said softly, gently brushing the hair that had fallen in her face away, tucking the loose strands behind her ear. He noticed the feverish flush that had spread across her cheeks was dissipating, and he removed the cold bottle. A few seconds past and he noticed movement under her lids, after a few more, her lids slowly lifted to reveal her cerulean irises. She blinked a few times, unfocused eyes sluggishly surveying the area before they stopped and focused on him. That’s when Levi realized how close he was to her, mere inches from their noses touching.

He pulled back, albeit not too quickly, and directed Eren’s focus from his face, to the water bottle, silently instructing her to take it. She reached out her hand to grab a hold of the bottle and missed, brushing against his hand instead.

Levi chuckled and set the bottle on her cheap coffee table. He then placed one hand under her shoulder, and cradled her with his other as he helped to lift her up into a sitting position the sofa. When she was settled, he opened the bottle and handed it to her.

After she had a few sips he took the bottle back and replaced its lid before setting it back on the coffee table. He then helped her lay back down and brushed the stray hairs away from her face again.

“Are you okay?” He asked as he covered up her exposed legs with a blanket that was thrown across the other arm of the couch.

“Mhm.” Was Eren’s weak response. “I guess my shower was too hot.”

“You think.” Levi stated sarcastically. Eren motioned for the water bottle and he picked it up to hand it to her as she propped herself up on an elbow. Since she’d already drunk some of it, it sloshed around when he put it in her shaky hands. That’s when he remembered why he’d gone to the bathroom in the first place. His eyes widened as the feeling of the earlier abdominal pressure returned and he quickly shot up.

“I’ll be right back, make sure you finish that.” He said as he raced towards the restroom, mentally cursing his bladder and himself for draining the bottle she’d offered him before she showered.

Eren allowed a somewhat confused look to occupy her face when she saw the uncomfortable look Levi had on his face when he handed her the water bottle and was even more confused when he abruptly stood and hurried away. She wasn’t raised high enough to see where he went, but her best guess was either the kitchen or the bathroom, and from the panicked and desperate look in his eyes, she guessed it was the bathroom. She let a light laugh escape her lips and drained the rest of the water before she twisted to lay flat on her back.

That’s when realization set in.

She was on the sofa. In a bathrobe that she never remembered putting on… at least not by herself. She also new from the way the plush white material tickled her more sensitive areas, that she was not wearing any kind of underwear.

‘O…oh…OH MY GOD.’ She mentally screamed. Her hands slammed on either side of her temple as she balled them into fists, pulling at the hair right on her hairline. ‘H-he… I-… oh my God oh my God oh my God he saw me… I-I know he did, he had to I-I was laying on the floor… in a towel,’ she started to squirm and kick in place, inadvertently kicking off the cover Levi had thrown across her lower half, freeing her bare legs to flail wildly in frustration and embarrassment, ‘Eren you are such an idiot… thank God I just waxed... but ugh.’ She heard the toilet flush and then a steady stream of water from the sink follow afterwards.

‘Wait he’s still in the bathroom so if I hurry to my room and change quickly maybe we can just forget this ever happened, and you know, I do remember wrapping myself a little in the towel so maybe he really didn’t see anything or if he did he’ll just forget it… yea that’s it, I’ll just hurry to bedroom and change and then pretend that this never happened or that he was just dreaming…’ her thoughts became more erratic and more ridiculous as different scenarios and schemes played on in her head.

Eren became so lost in her head that she didn’t register Levi coming back into the living space, pausing to watch the flailing female before letting out a robust and hearty laugh because of how ridiculous she looked. Her hands were balled into fists and it looked like she was trying to pull out her hair, her face was scrunched up, comically depicting a look of frustration. The fluffy white material of the robe was pooled at her hips, as her legs kicked out wildly, showing off her toned and lightly tan colored skin. Levi’s eyes worked up her tone legs until he reached the junction between the end of her thigh and the curve of her butt.  He stopped, looking away so he didn’t further invade the privacy of the young woman laying before him.

Eren’s eyes shot open when she heard the laugh and immediately stopped kicking her legs and dropped her hands to her sides. She realized how exposed she was and lifted herself up into a sitting position to cover up her body.

She wrapped her arms around her body, still feeling exposed despite being covered by the thick plush robe. Eren kept her eyes locked on the carpet, trembling from embarrassment as Levi continued to laugh. ‘Oh no, I bet he’s laughing cause my body is so unappealing, I bet he thinks I’m disgusting… my figure isn’t that feminine, I wasn’t blessed with curves like Mikasa…’ her thoughts continued on, spiraling downward and becoming more and more negative.

“Oh man. I haven’t laughed like that in ages.” Levi ceased his laughter and peeked at Eren through one eye while wiping the tears that formed under the other with his finger.

 His eyes both opened and immediately widened when he realized she was crying. He looked at her, confused a moment before realizing that his laughter must have had an adverse effect on her.

He made his way around the coffee table and kneeled in front of her, gently placing on hand on her shoulder while the other remained at his side. “Eren, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

Her sniffling and tear falling continued for a few moments before she spoke a soft and broken, “N-no, I’m o-okay.” Despite her words, her crying didn’t stop, nor did it slow.

Levi sighed and stood up from his position; he sat next to her on the couch and reached his arm behind her trembling form. He paused for moment, debating whether or not to continue and decided to go ahead and do it. He let his arm wrap around her back and shoulders while the other moved around her arms to cradle her to his chest. He felt her stiffen and then slowly relax, her crying slowing down to a few stray tears and then to nothing but sniffles.

Levi felt more of Eren’s weight leaning against him as she finally stopped her waterworks; he wasn’t able to see her face because she was hiding it with the sleeves of her robe and her head was still pressed against his chest. He let a sigh escape his mouth and slowly started to stroke through her slightly dampened hair, running his fingers from her scalp to the ends and repeating the process to further soothe her.

After a few more moments of stroking her hair and gently rocking her back and forth, he softly spoke, “Eren,” he started. She stiffened in his embrace and he took that as a confirmation that she was listening, so he continued on, “feeling better?” He slackened his embrace and allowed her to pull away from him; he was a little disappointed at the loss, but was more concerned with making sure Eren wasn’t uncomfortable around him.

Eren pulled herself back into a sitting position after leaving Levi’s warm and comforting embrace. She slowly lowered her hands, allowing the sleeves to wipe her face a few times before letting her hands rest in her lap. Her eyes remained focused on the carpet as she spoke, “I-I’m fine now, thank you… and sorry about that.”

The slight slump in shoulders was subtle, but Levi noticed it. He took a quick breath and then started again, “don’t worry about it, it’s okay Eren.” He stopped, he didn’t want to press any further and risk upsetting her again but he had to know, so he tried to approach the subject as delicately but also as straightforward as possible, “Eren… why were you crying? Did I hurt you?”

This time she looked up to meet his careful gaze, eyes red and puffy, cheeks lightly flushed and lips drying from the dehydration caused from her crying fit. “Wha-? N-no! You didn’t hurt me… um I uh… I stubbed my toe when I was kick the sofa and-“

He stopped her with a sharp glare. “Eren. Don’t lie to me.”

She quickly looked away and started to busy herself by playing with the hem of her robe, “I’m not… no you didn’t do anything, honest.” She paused and then looked back up at Levi, meeting his steely gaze, “I just ...I have a tendency to overthink things and I was scared that you saw me… well you know…” she averted her eyes as her cheeks reddened at the thought.

“You were scared that I saw you naked.” Levi finished bluntly. His lips twitched into a small smirk when he saw her eyes widen and her body stiffen again. “Well, to be honest I did. Partially though, I made sure you were covered up before I touched you. It’s not like I’ve never seen a woman before Eren, don’t be so abashed.” He stopped, realizing that he could have easily left the last part out and felt a twinge of irritation at himself building when he saw her expression fall.

“O-oh, right of course… haha. I guess it was silly of me to over react like that.” She said too quickly.

Levi realized his words hurt her more than they’d helped and he tried to rectify it, “Eren, that’s not what I meant. I apologize.” He sat there for a moment longer, feeling ashamed at himself when he saw her hurt expression, her eyebrows trembling and furrowed over her scrunched eyes and her dried lips being pulled at by her teeth. He stood and walked towards the kitchen to get more water. When he returned, he thrust the bottle in her face with a simple order, “Drink.”

She looked at him and nodded, accepting the bottle and downing almost half of it in one gulp. ‘She’s dehydrated alright,’ he told himself, ‘and that crying fit you sent her into did not help you moron.’

After making sure she finished off the rest of the bottle, Levi pulled out his phone to look at the time, ‘Shit, it’s almost 5PM’ he shouted in his head. He then thought back to the events that lead them to missing the lunch reservation he’d made for 3:30PM at a nice little Italian place the next city over. While he pondered them, he realized that she must have overheated not only from dehydration, but from something else too, but what else? He ran through a possible causes in his head, ‘she was passed out on the floor so is she anemic? Maybe acute anemia? That’s possible, from what he saw, she was pretty thin…actually really thin, especially this late in the day… the abdomen expands throughout the day as food is processed through it…’ He looked back over to Eren and asked, “Eren, have you eaten anything today?”

The question caught her off guard and she looked up at him, “No… I haven’t…”

His eyes narrowed and he raised his voice a bit more than he intended, “Why the hell not? Are you doing one of those stupid fad diets that girls pass out from everyday? What made you think it was okay to go so long without eating?” He stopped himself when he saw her shrink back. ‘Too far Levi…too far.’ He thought to himself, biting back the rest of his tirade and keeping his mouth sealed tightly between pursed lips.

“I-I just…” she paused and then turned to face him, her brows furrowed and eyes full of many emotions, mostly irritation and annoyance at the fact that he was questioning her lifestyle, it was none of his business what she did or didn’t do with her body, so why the hell was he acting like it was all of a sudden. She snapped back at him, “I just forgot okay.” She paused when she realized how acidic her tone was.

 “I was just really excited about lunch with you today…so I just forgot to eat…” the attitude fell from her voice and it returned to its timid and quiet tone.

Her last words actually took Levi a little by surprise. He knew that they both felt somewhat attracted to each other, for Levi it was definitely the childish innocence and honesty Eren seemed to posses, and it helped that she was, perhaps, one of the most beautiful young women he’d ever laid his eyes on, speaking of eyes… her eyes. Yes, that was definitely another plus, beautiful, large, and wonder filled eyes, he had to say they were her best feature, and they were also what first attracted him to her. Shallow as it may be, she was beautiful, there was no denying that.

Levi hadn’t really thought about if Eren was attracted to him or not, at least not romantically. He figured she was just another young, curious girl, excited to be out on her own and free from her family, parents, and responsibilities. But no…she seemed genuinely excited to be near him, just as he began to look forward to being near her. Something stirred, deep within him. He realized he may be interested in the young woman sitting next to him. The young, obviously innocent woman. The young, innocent woman who was clothed in nothing more than a bathrobe.

His thoughts began to wonder to the earlier occurrences, as he remembered how smooth and firm her skin felt… how soft and supple…and perfect she was… He neglected to respond to her little confession, choosing instead to stare her up and down while he played lewd and less than appropriate scenes in his head. He snapped himself out of his fantasies, mentally criticizing himself, ‘for fucks sake you’re an adult, act like one damn it.’ He forced his gaze off of her and twisted himself so he was now fully facing the coffee table that supported three empty water bottles; the one Eren gave him, and the two he’d given her.

“Levi…?” Eren’s voice was full of concern and mixed with confusion.

He continued to look away from her as he spoke, “Eren… do you still want to go out to eat?” He turned and met her eyes, with a faintly amused look on his face, trying to hide the nervousness he felt from asking her in the current, undeniably awkward atmosphere.

 

Eren just stared at him, brows furrowed with confusion before he saw the sides of her mouth twitch. She burst out laughing; gracing Levi with, perhaps the most beautiful sight he’d seen that night. Her smiling and laughing face. The laugh fell to a giggle and from there it slowly morphed into a pleased smile. “I thought you’d never ask,” she said, letting a small laugh escape her matte and dry lips, “I’m starving.”

* * *

 The two enjoyed their night out. They spent the night learning more about each other, realizing just how different, and yet oddly compatible they were. When the night came to a close, Levi stalled his Coupe, and walked Eren to the entrance of her building. The two stood there, hands in their coat pockets as their breaths came out in light white puffs, the wintery weather only exaggerated by the absence of the sun that came with the chill of the night and exhibition of the moon.

“This was fun,” Eren started, as she broke the small silence that had built up between them as they left the warmth of Levi’s vehicle, “Thank you.” She offered him a warm, genuine smile.

“It was,” he stated, looking up and marveling at how the darkness of the night and the light of the moon and the cheap, faulty illumination coming from Eren’s apartment building, made her eyes shine a hazel, almost golden color. “Same time next week?” He asked, not really expecting an answering, but secretly hoping he would get one.

“R-really?” Eren asked, incredulous and excited. “You want to go out with me again?” She quickly bit her lip; a nervous blush dusted her cheeks. She busied herself with searching for her apartment keys, forgetting that she didn’t actually need them to get into the building, since it was almost always unlocked.

“Yes, today had more fun and excitement than I’ve had in a very long time. I quite enjoyed it.” He punctuated his last phrase with a sly smirk and a wiggle of his brow, he then turned and started to walk back towards his stalled, and more importantly, warm, car.

 “Goodnight Eren, sleep tight.” With that, he opened his Coupe and smoothly slid into the warmed seat. He paused and waited for her to open the door and go into the building, but she didn’t. He raised an eyebrow at her, silently questioning her stupefied and gaping gaze before he chuckled and closed his door.

Eren got the hint that she was staring and she quickly turned to around, fumbling her keys again before remembering that she didn’t need them. She clumsily opened the door and hurried through them. She turned around to wave Levi off from behind the glass barrier that now separated her from chilly nighttime air. He offered his own wave and then shifted into drive, speeding off towards his apartment in hopes to take a warm shower, have a nice cup of tea, and think about how he was going to deal with the situation of his newly discovered, and slowly developing, feelings for Eren. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> Just because I've gotten several people saying how unrealistic the shower scene was, I would like to say that first off, this is a fan fiction. FICTION. As in, not real. 
> 
> Outside of that important point, I personally have been overheated several times in the shower and have had either to sit for a while to cool down, or be helped out of the bathroom because of how sick I felt, so that bit was actually based off of something that has happened to me. As such I'd appreciate the comments/messages about how dumb that scenario is to stop, because that shit does happen, and it's not pleasant.  
> //salty Haru is salty


	10. Dinner.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonus Chapter. Insert for Chapter 9.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own SNK, if I did, no one would be dead.

**Chapter 9.5 – Dinner.**

Levi smiled when he heard her words, “I thought you’d never ask,” she allowed a shy smile to play on her dry lips, “I’m starving.”

Eren stood from the sofa and walked in front of Levi, his eyes followed her as she headed towards the bathroom, but turned and walked into the door opposite of it. ‘That must be her bedroom’ he thought to himself, he turned and leaned his back into the couch, allowing himself to relax his body and begin to release the tension that had built up.

 

He let a small sigh escape his lips and tilted his head back on the sofa, his lids closed and he sat there in a comfortable silence while Eren began dressing to go out for dinner.

* * *

 Eren rounded the corner and walked into her bedroom; she closed the door behind her and let her robe fall off her shoulders and onto the floor. She rushed to put on some undergarments, not paying much attention to whether either each piece matched or not. She turned and walked into her closet and raked through the articles until she picked out the few pieces she’d imagined together earlier in the day. A long sleeved, cream chiffon blouse with a large droopy bow tied on the front, and a simple but classy pair of black skinny jeans. She held the pieces up to each other and nodded in approval. She quickly laid them out on her bed and went back into the closet to decide on accessories.

After rejecting the idea of a necklace, she decided on a pretty pair of silver dangly earrings, the dangles were shaped like scalloped fish scales, four hung from each stud. She slipped a simple silver ring over her thumb and then pulled out a pair of black heels; each one had a small, sophisticated bow on the heel. Satisfied with her choices, Eren rushed to put on a lacey camisole and then hurriedly put on the rest of the garments and accessories.

She burst out of her bedroom and then went straight into the bathroom to fix her hair and throw on a little eye makeup. She started with her face first, doing a casual take on the classic cat eye. She finished off the eye look with a few coats of her favorite mascara. She put a few layers of chapstick on her dried out lips to set and soften them up while she started on her hair. It was almost completely dry, a little dampness in a few places along her roots, but not enough for her to bother with pulling out the blow dryer.

 

After messing with a few different styles, Eren decided on braiding the front sections of her hair, one on either side, leaving a few strands loose to frame her face, along with her fringe. She pulled these two loose braids back and tied them off in the back, leaving the rest of her hair down and untouched in the back. Satisfied with the look, Eren moved back to her makeup box, and pulled out a few lip glosses. She decided on doing a natural look, picking the one closest to her rosy-mauve color and glided a layer of it across her lips. Eren gave herself a quick once over and hurried out the bathroom, not caring about the clacking noise her heels made when they hit against the tile floor.

* * *

 Eren had been gone for twenty minutes, and in those twenty minutes, Levi thought about possible topics of conversation he could bring up to carry the two through the rest of the evening. He’d settled on a few basic, ‘getting to know you’ kind of starters, then prepared a set of other topics depending on how the mood was and how well the pair seemed get along. He decided that he would try and be a bit less sarcastic and try not to make fun of Eren too much, ‘I’m going to try… but I’m not making any promises,’ he mused to himself. His thoughts were interrupted by the oil deprived hinges of the bathroom door squeaking as the door was quickly opened. He heard the clacking of heels and turned to see the cause of the noise.

Eren walked away from the bathroom and back towards her bedroom without glancing at Levi, whose mouth had opened to a small ‘o’ while looking at her outfit choice. ‘That was quick…she looks nice,’ he thought. He clicked his tongue as his eyes made their way down to her feet, ‘could have done without the damn heels though… maybe I should invest in inserts?’ he glared at the wall at the thought, annoyed with even having to consider it as an option. He knew he was shorter than average, and it wasn’t like he angry about it. It’s not like there was anything really wrong with it, though he’d been rejected, some times more politely than others, by many girls and women in his life time due to his lack of height.

Levi sighed and stood from the couch, stretching just enough to let his back pop comfortably. He walked towards the doorway and began to slip his shoes on while he waited for Eren to come out. A few moments later she did, carrying a small cobalt clutch, which made the emerald color of her eyes more prominent.

“I’m ready,” she breathed out, setting the clutch on the sorry excuse for a counter in her tiny kitchen to double check that she had everything she deemed necessary.

Levi quirked a brow, “No you’re not,” he walked over the narrow coat closet and pulled his overcoat, “it’s cold out Eren,” he then searched through the few hanging coats and jackets, and pulled out a simple black trench, “put this on.” He handed it to her and then slid his own coat on.

Eren pouted a moment and then accepted the trench. She followed Levi’s example and threw the coat over her clothing, buttoning it up to the lapels.

Levi chuckled at the face she made and walked towards the door to unlock it and open it for Eren to exit first. She handed him the key as she waltzed out, smirking at the more apparent height difference due to her choice of footwear. He pretended that he didn’t see the overly smug look on her face and turned out the lights, closing the door and locking it before returning the key to Eren. Well, not really returning the key so much as ignoring her outreached hand in favor of sliding the object into her trench pocket. He let his hand rest there a little longer than necessary and offered his own satisfied smirk, rendering her earlier smugness obsolete as a shocked and embarrassed expression dawned her features.

 

 

Eren stood, frozen for a moment while Levi walked on, as if nothing had ever happened. He was halfway to the elevator when Eren finally thawed. She started a quick pace to catch up to him and join him on the ride down to the garage.

* * *

 The car ride was filled with the low buzz of ambient music and the comfortable lack of conversation between the two occupants as they neared their destination.

Levi parked his car in a somewhat crowded lot, a fair walking distance away from a shopping strip that Eren had never been to before. He got out and walked around to open the door and help Eren out, he bowed slightly as he offered her his hand. She placed hers in his and he helped her out, lightly gripping her fingers and giving them a quick squeeze before letting go of her hand and dropping his own to his side.

The pair made their way through the crowded car lot and towards the shops, which were erected along a walkway around a lake. Eren couldn’t see how big the lake was because the lights from the shops only allowed a limited view in the darkness of the night. As they got closer, she was able to see several little restaurants scattered along the strip, each with their own unique lighting and outdoor seating areas. She was so engrossed in looking at the restaurants that were growing closer with every passing moment and step she took, that she didn’t notice a part of a curb that jutted out, broken from the rest of its form which encased some grass and a well kept tree. The tip of her shoe caught it and she stumbled forward.

She would have fallen onto the paved ground if Levi hadn’t stuck out his hand and grabbed her own, stabilizing her and preventing her jeaned knees from kissing the cement.

“Watch where you’re walking,” he snapped, pausing for a moment while Eren stabilized, then continued to walk on towards their destination, only this time, he kept a firm grip on her hand.

They settled into a comfortable stance, hand in hand as they finally approached the restaurant.

Eren gazed at the area in awe with an open mouthed, wonder filled look decorating her face as she took in the sight.

 There were small lanterns all along the perimeter of the outdoor seating area located in the front of the restaurant, overlooking the onyx lake. There were several tables in the area; all of them were covered by large black outdoor umbrellas to protect the table, chairs, and occupants from rain, and intense rays of sunlight. She returned her attention to the entrance, which was lit up with similar lanterns, lined up along the granite staircase that lead up to two large, rectangular columns that were striped with gold and dark gray metallic paint.

 

Levi let Eren’s eyes wander a few minutes before gently tugging at her hand, still cradled in his own. When she turned her bright eyed face back to him, he nodded his head towards the stairs and started to walk towards it. She followed him, smiling down at their connected hands.

* * *

 Levi, reluctantly, released Eren’s hand as the approached the counter; he let Eren stay a few paces behind him while he approached the waiter and exchanged a few words. The man handed him a round buzzer, and then nodded respectfully to Levi as he turned and walked back towards Eren. They walked over and stood against a free space on the wall, since all the seating in the waiting area was occupied.

“I called in earlier to reserve a table, it seems like whoever I talked to was new because that man,” Levi gestured towards the man he’d just spoken with using the buzzer, “informed me that they don’t keep reservations on their busiest nights. First come, first serve.” He finished.

Eren nodded and said, “that’s alright, I’ve gone most of the day without eating, what’s a few more minutes going to hurt,” she joked, cringing slightly at the look Levi shot her, “so…how long did he say the wait would be?” she tried to change the subject.

“Not too long actually,” he started, “only about-“his words were interrupted by the vibration and light show that the buzzer displayed, “five minutes. Or now.” He looked up at Eren and smiled, then walked towards the man again, this time with Eren following closely.

They were seated and a few moments later a thick set woman with beautiful curly brown hair came by and asked them for their drink orders. Eren ordered an ice water with a few slices of lemon on the side while Levi ordered a chilled glass and a beer.

Eren laughed when the waitress asked to see his ID, he offered a blank stare while she checked the date on the card, eyes widening briefly as she looked back and forth between the card and the owner of it before handing it back with a somewhat surprised look.

“What was that about?” Eren managed to speak out, after her little giggle fit.

“She must not have believed my birth year.” He stated.

The waitress returned a moment later, with a chilled beer glass and bottle, setting it down on the table in front of Levi along with a glass of ice water. She placed a small bowl of lemon wedges in front of Eren and her own glass of water.

“Why?” Eren continued when the waitress left the area again, “Are you _that_ old?”She asked with amusement in her voice, playfully emphasizing ‘that,’ as she said it.

“I’m not _that_ old.” Levi stated, mimicking the unnecessary emphasis placed by Eren. He popped open the beer and poured the fizzy amber liquid into the frosted glass.

Eren giggled a little, “Well then, Mr. Not ‘That’ Old,” she used air quotes this time on ‘that,’ “how old are you?”

Levi sighed, taking a sip of his drink and looking up to meet Eren’s curious gaze. ‘I knew she was going to ask again, but not right off the bat.’

“I’m thirty five.” He stated, then took another sip of his beverage and set it back down on the table.

Eren’s eyes widened a bit, “Wow, you’re a lot older than you look, I thought you were still in your twenties.” Eren said, unabashed.

Levi stared at her a moment before picking up the menu and searching through it, a blank look on his face to mask his internal pout. ‘Great. Fantastic. Just splendid, now I really look like an old pervert.’

Levi’s silence alerted Eren that she might have said something offensive, she quickly thought back to her words from a moment before. “N-not that you’re old or anything! No, I didn’t mean it like that, I mean, you just really don’t look your age, it’s hard for me to believe that you’re closer to forty than twenty is all.” She bit her tongue, ‘wow Eren, not helping. What is wrong with me, do I have verbal diarrhea or something?’

As if reading her mind, Levi spoke, eyes still intently studying the menu, though he already knew from the moment he made the reservation that he wanted pizza and a beer, “You really should think before you talk. One of these days you’re going to run into someone who won’t take as kindly to your Freudian slips.”

"I-I didn't mean to offend you." she stuttered nervously.

"You didn't offend me. I’m more than aware of our age difference, and it would be childish of me to be riled up by you pointing it out." he stated, paging through the menu to find the pizza selection.

Levi looked up momentarily, glancing behind Eren to see the waitress pacing in the background, obviously waiting for them to order. He settled his gaze back on Eren and offered her a calm smile, one meant to ease away the nervous tension that showed on her overly expressive face.

 "Are you ready to order?" he asked her.

Eren shook he head, "No, not yet. There are so many options to choose from, I don't even know where to start."

Levi chuckled and set his menu down, motioning with a few graceful flicks of his fingers to get the waitress’s attention. "How about I order an appetizer to start, that will give you more time to decide what you want and give our waitress something to do."

Eren smiled and nodded, looking back down and searching at a more relaxed pace through the seven paged menu.

When the waitress came over, she topped off the pair's water glasses, and then took Levi’s order. He ordered an appetizer medley that included spinach and artichoke dip, an assortment of hors d'oeuvres, and baked macaroni balls with a white truffle sauce.

When the waitress left, Eren scrunched her face in confusion at the last few items he ordered, "Macaroni with white chocolate truffles?" she questioned, "is that even allowed in the world of food pairings?"

Levi let a brisk laugh escape his lips before meeting Eren’s confused face, "White truffle _sauce_ , it’s not chocolate. Truffles are a type of fungi,” Levi stated, he smirked at the look of disgust on Eren’s face when he said ‘fungi’, “just so you know, mushrooms are fungi too, anyway, be sure to try it, I'm sure you'll like the combination."

"Hmm," Eren hummed while she looked the menu. "Alright, but only because you insist..., however…if I don’t like it, I expect a delicious dessert to make up for the bad taste in my mouth." she smiled and looked up from the laminated menu and asked, "What are you going to order?"

"Deal,” He smirked, “but if you like the truffle sauce, you have to let me have a bite of whatever you order.” He then paused to let the condition settle in before answering, “I’m going to get a pizza, and maybe a salad to go with it."

"Really? Out of all the things on the menu...you’re choosing pizza? Why not go to an Italian place for that then?"

Levi's small smile turned back down as his blank expression returned. 'Well we would have already had Italian if someone wasn't late getting out of work...' he thought to himself.

"You'd be surprised; the pizza here is actually really good."

"Oh?" Eren stated, she turned to the "gourmet pies" section and began reading over all the choices and possible combinations, which were almost more overwhelming than the variety of food the restaurant offered.

She mumbled softly to herself, but just loud enough that Levi was able to hear it, "Maybe I'll get pizza too."

Levi smirked and signaled the waitress over, much to Eren’s distress. She didn't think he'd heard her, but he went ahead and order two pies, a large salad to share, and asked for a dessert sampler to be brought out after they finished their meal.

 

The waitress took their menus and was already walking towards the back before Eren could register what happened.

* * *

 Eren sighed as she reluctantly handed over a few slices of her pizza to Levi, who’d obviously won the truffle taste bet. Eren loved it; she ate most of the little cheesy pasta bites dowsed in the tantalizing sauce herself, Levi barely got two bites.

He chuckled as she relinquished the slices, ‘her pouting face is adorable… I don’t know whether I like her blushing or pouting more… I wonder what other faces she can make…’ Levi’s mind wandered as he ate his newly won slices in a daze. He almost didn’t catch Eren trying to steal one of his own.

“I see you Eren.” He said, she stilled her slithering fingers and nervously met his eyes. He grinned and placed his hand atop hers, grabbing a hold of it and cradling it in his own while he used his other to place a slice of his pizza on her plate. “You could have just asked,” he paused and took a sip of his beer, “I probably would have given you more than one slice if you had asked nicely.” He directed his gaze back down to his meal and continued to eat. He didn’t let her hand go, nor did Eren try to pull it away.

* * *

 They finished their dinner, alternating between small talk and the silence that comes with really good food. Levi learned a little more about Eren, how she was an only child born to a, once successful doctor who had his license and practice revoked for multiple charges of malpractice and negligence after Eren’s mother suddenly passed away. He discovered her favorite color was blue, cobalt blue to be exact; she was quite good with computers and fond of digital media and art. She also loved dogs, and wished that she had the time and money to afford one. He added all this new information to his gradually growing, mental list of things about Eren.

Overall, Eren seemed like a sweet girl who was smart, strong, and independent. And at the same time she was strangely adorable, and undeniably attractive. By the time their night came to a close, both Eren and Levi were stuffed and more than satisfied.

Eren excused herself to the restroom and Levi took the opportunity to pay for their meal and wonderful night out. When Eren returned, he escorted her out of the restaurant, despite her protesting and insisting on at least paying for herself. He simply chuckled and led her out into the starlit night sky, making his way towards the walkway along the lake.

When she caught up to him, and they were side by side, he removed a hand from his coat pocket and caught a hold of her own, that was dangling to the side.

With intertwined fingers, the pair strolled along the lantern lit pathway, listening to the calming sound of the dark water pushing up against its man-made barriers and the faint, but lively buzz of music and chatter coming from the shops that decorated the area.

Both Levi and Eren had smiles on their faces. Levi’s was a small and barely detectable curve on either side of thin pink lips, while Eren’s was a goofy smile, one so wide it was hard to miss. 


	11. Let's Have a Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own SNK, if I did, no one would be dead.
> 
> A/N  
> Thanks for your patience with this story and I really appreciate all the people who read and who leave feedback. When I see subscribes, alerts, comments, and kudos it makes my heart do silly flips. Thank you~!!!

**Chapter 10 – Let's Have a Talk**

It was early Friday morning, the first Friday of Eren’s first ‘week’ of classes at Rose University, well at least the first three days of classes. Her classes had begun Wednesday, earlier in the week. At that time, it had been four days since she saw or spoke to Levi.

 

~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~~

That Wednesday morning, earlier in the week, she was excited at the thought of seeing him again, so excited, that she’d kept herself up all night trying to decide what to wear and how to do her hair, how much or little makeup she should wear or even if she should wear any at all. Thoughts like ‘I wonder what his type is,’ or, ‘maybe I shouldn’t really think to hard about that,’ and ‘if I don’t put enough effort, will he notice… wait what if I’m trying too hard…’ filled her mind and kept her from sleeping.

These thoughts occupied her head until she finally settled down into her pajamas and made her way to her bed, ‘OH SHIT…it’s already 3 AM and I have work at 7 AM tomorrow…today.’ With a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes and tried to calm her nerves in hopes to salvage what little remained of the night and any possibility of beauty sleep.

All her panicking and nitpicky behavior was for naught. She’d seen neither hide nor hair of Levi since classes began; she was starting to wonder if he was even teaching anything this semester.

 

~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~~

Eren pulled herself out of bed, throwing the sheets off her body and leaving them in a messy heap. She strode towards her bedroom door then into the bathroom to wake herself up and make herself look a bit more human.

After lazily freshening up, she went to her closet and dressed casually, she pulled on a pair of black skinny jeans followed by a light blue, slightly oversized sweater. She slipped on a pair of plain silver ballet flats and loosely wrapped an off-white scarf around her neck. She put on a simple pair of silver studs and returned to her bathroom, yawning widely and scratching her unkempt brown locks.

After a few minutes of brushing the knots out of her coffee colored tresses, she pulled back the front part into a low bun, leaving her fringe and length loose. She decided on a thin line of eyeliner and brushed on a few coats of mascara before giving herself a once over. She grabbed her wallet, making sure her ID and a few bills were in it, then slid her messenger bag over her shoulders and headed out of her apartment and towards the bus.

After a relatively short bus ride and quiet trip on the train, Eren found herself on campus, at 6:50AM, just a short distance from the bookstore and with enough time to grab a small coffee before her 7 AM shift began.

* * *

 “Hey Eren,” Mylius spoke while he logged into the computer in the break room, “do you mind finishing up that order list I was working on earlier? I have to leave now because I have a meeting with my professor before class.” He double clicked the program that all the employees used to clock in and clock out and waited for it to load while he directed his attention to Eren, who was pulling down a stack of notebooks to restock the supplies section.

“Huh?” she breathed out as her feet finally touched the ground, ‘geez I hate this stupid ladder, it makes me nervous,’ she thought as she came around the corner with a stack of notebooks, “Oh, yea sure no problem. Just leave the lists at my register before you leave.” She walked past him and out towards the supplies section without another word.

“Alright, thanks.” He said as she past him. He typed in his employee ID and clicked the ‘clock out’ block before shutting down the program and logging out for the next person to use the computer. He picked up the thin stack of paper and grabbed his jacket and bag. Before leaving the store, walked behind the cashier station and looked for the monitor that showed Eren’s login ID and left the papers on the keyboard. He left the store and got lost in the crowd of students that filled the building.

Eren finished organizing the notebooks and headed up to her station, smiling when she saw the neat stack of order lists placed just where she’d asked. She gingerly thumbed through the pages as she headed back toward the books section and started getting to work on the order.

Nearly an hour had past, and Eren had just finished packing and sorting the last of the orders. She walked back to her station and stood behind the monitor, blankly staring into space while she tried not to think about how much she wanted to see Levi.

‘I still have an hour before I’m off’ she thought when she looked at the time on the monitor. She briefly contemplated going into the office where her bosses worked to grab her phone, but then she decided against it. ‘It’s only an hour…I can wait.’

She stood with a bored expression on her face as she stared into space for several more long minutes.

Eren’s senses returned to her when she heard the cliché ‘ding’ that alerted all occupants in the store of someone’s entering or exiting the area. She turned and her jaw nearly hit the floor when she saw him, ‘finally!’ she thought happily as he strode through the sensors and towards the school spirit wear and paraphernalia.

Her eyes followed him, wide with excitement, as he deftly moved through the rows of sweatshirts, t-shirts, and jackets, straight towards the ceramic ware and customized pen section.

Eren stayed behind the counter and lightly bounced in place for a few moments, debating whether or not to and ask him if he needed any help. Before she could calm her nerves enough to walk away from the counter, he’d already started towards her.

He had two cups with the universities’ insignia on the sides of them and a thermos with the school’s colors. He set the items on the counter, and then quickly walked away before Eren had a chance to voice her greeting. He grabbed a small stuffed teddy bear from a display bin in the front of the store, then paused and grabbed one more, larger one, before returning to the counter and adding those items to his purchase. He had yet to acknowledge or even address Eren, choosing instead to keep his eyes averted and search through his bag for his wallet.

Eren noticed his odd and distant behavior, she wanted to question him about it, but her boss, Mrs. Shadis had walked up to the counter.

“Professor Ackerman!” she greeted him while Eren kept her head down and started to ring up the items.

Levi turned to his side and returned the greeting, “Mrs. Shadis,” he extended his unoccupied hand, “always a pleasure.” He stated with, what Eren saw as a fake and forced smile, ‘wow he even showed some teeth in that one’ she thought as she finished ringing up his items.

“How is everything with you? Still the same old things? Still single?” she asked a stream of inquiries that quickly became ‘yes or no’ questions, taking away the possibility for Levi to give any _creative_ answers.

“I’m well thank you, and no they aren’t the same,” he quickly glanced at Eren then back to Mrs. Shadis, “a few things have changed.” He purposefully ignored the last question, since he himself wasn’t even sure of the answer.

When he’d come into the bookstore, he wasn’t expecting to see Mrs. Shadis out of her office, he never enjoyed her prying and overly familiar way of speaking, he also was not expecting to run into Eren. He knew she worked there, but he figured she would value sleep more than a few extra dollars in the bank like any other college student. He’d mentally slapped himself when he walked up the counter and realized that she was the only cashier, he hadn’t really thought about what to say to her since their date Saturday night and really, really hadn’t thought about how to tell her he was going to have to cancel for the coming Saturday since his parents decided to stop by and stay with him for the weekend along with his niece while her mother was away for business.

Eren watched the display and noticed Levi’s pause, and the quick glance he sent her way before he continued talking. She felt her cheeks heat slightly and tried not to over process his words while she wrapped up the cups and bagged the rest of the items. She set the bag on the counter and typed in the ‘faculty’ discount code which was used for anyone employed by the school. After a few seconds of processing, the ‘10%’ discount came off of each item and she pressed the total button.

She smirked inwardly and decided to save Levi from the invasive question session, “your total is $53.70 _Professor Ackerman_.” She put a subtle yet dramatic emphasis on his name and put on her best ‘fake smile in order to look good in front of the boss’ face. She saw the corner of Levi’s mouth twitch up at her little show and he handed her his bank card and ID.

She diligently checked to make sure the information on his ID and card matched up, and then handed him his ID back. She had to be perfect in front of the boss, even if they both knew who the man between them was. She swiped his card and waited for him to enter in his pin before she finished the transaction and returned the card to him.

“Thank you, have a nice day sir,” she said, fake and cheesy smile still plastered on her face as she handed him his bag.

He nodded his head and let the hand holding the bag fall to his side. He said his goodbyes to Mrs. Shadis and fast walked out of the store and into a new crowd of students.

Eren watched him until he’d left the entrance and was out of her line of sight. She reprinted the receipt and finished filling out the discount form while Mrs. Shadis spoke to her.

“Is he one of your professors this semester?” Eren finished her signature and then stuck the clipboard reserved for special discounts back into its slot.

“Ah, no ma'am.” She looked up and met Mrs. Shadis’ curious eyes, “I actually met him at Dr. Pixis’ holiday party last year,” she noticed some of the curiosity fading, only to be replaced by a questioning look, “he gave me his card… for consultation purposes…” Eren felt herself getting a bit nervous and hoped that her little explanation would explain her ‘familiarity’ with the professor.

“I see,” she said with a little glint in her eyes, but let the topic drop.

Eren breathed out and asked, “Did you need something ma'am?”

“Ah yes, I came up here to let you know that you could leave if you wanted, it’s been a bit slow this morning and I know you’re bored dear.”

Eren smiled at her words and looked at the time, she’d be getting over a little over a half hour early, “Alright, then I guess I will.” She logged off her station and walked around the counter, “I’ll see you Saturday then?”

“Yes, at 8 AM” she responded back with a curt nod and a smile.

Eren returned the gestures and then made her way to the break room to log into the station and begin clocking out. While she waited for the settings to load, she grabbed her bag from her bosses’ office and then searched for her phone. Once the program had loaded, she entered her information and clocked out; she said one final goodbye to her boss and then wandered into the crowd and towards the lecture hall where her first class was held.

She walked into the building and sat down on a bench to wait for the current class to end and hers to start while she browsed her phone.

‘Three messages huh?’ she thought as she opened tapped on the smiling icon. ‘From Mikasa, Armin and…Levi?!’ she tapped on the message from Levi and smiled as she read it.

 **[Received 9:55 AM] Levi:** _Sorry about earlier, I wasn’t expecting to see you… and I was trying to avoid Mrs. Shadis. I’m sure you could figure out why. When are you done with classes?_

Eren laughed to herself and thought back to the event, ‘Yes, I’m sure I know why.’ She quickly typed back that her last class ended at 5 but she had free time from 2 until 4.

Eren began to reply to her other messages, Mikasa and Armin both asked what she wanted to do for lunch, either eating in the cafeteria, in the lounge or out.  She thought about it for a few seconds and then sent ‘the lounge’ to both of them, like she usually did.

She checked her email and then decided to put her phone away and look over her notes from the previous class, just in case the professor decided to have a pop quiz. After about fifteen minutes passed, Eren heard the shuffling of feet and the opening of doors as the first few students slipped out of the lecture hall and to their next destinations. She started to put her notes away and waited for her room to clear out before walking in and finding herself a good seat. Not too close, but not far either.

After settling in her seat, she heard the vibration of her phone and pulled it out to view the message.

 **[Received 10:50 AM] Levi:** _Do you want to meet for some coffee? I know a great little café nearby that serves the best._

Eren grinned as she typed back.

 **[Sent 10:50 AM]** _I’m sure it’s just_ great _. Coffee sounds good, I’ll need a pick me up to get through my last class anyway._ ^o^  

After about a minute, she got the final response.

 **[Received 10:51 AM] Levi:** _Alright, meet me in the lounge at 2:15._

She smiled and tucked her phone away in her bag as the class began to fill with people. ‘Alright, just three hours, I can do this!’

* * *

 At 2 PM Levi sat in a plain wooden chair near the rear entrance of the universities lounge. It was popular among both faculty and students because it offered a different and better tasting menu than what was served in the cafeteria. He pulled out his phone and thumbed through a few emails, starring a few for later and deleting the redundant ones.

He periodically looked up to check if Eren had entered the area. After a few minutes passed, he heard a familiar laugh and perked up in his seat. He looked towards the entrance and saw her walking with a tall, burly, blonde guy. The two walked over to a cushioned booth, Eren laughed and smiled the whole way.

The blonde offered to let her sit down first but she just smiled and shook her head, mouthing something Levi couldn’t make out. The two continued their conversation and Eren pulled out her phone, glanced at it and slipped it back into her bag. After a few more minutes, which seemed to drag on for Levi, two other guys joined them and greeted the blonde, and then Eren. She waved at them and checked her phone, this time looking around and finally towards Levi.

He saw her smile and lift a hand up in a short, somewhat shy greeting before she turned back and mouthed a few things to the guys and waved goodbye to them. She weaved through the semi-full space and towards Levi, who was already up and heading towards to the door.

Eren caught up to him as he walked outside into the cold air. “Hey!” she said excitedly, following behind him, towards what she assumed was the faculty parking lot.

“Hey,” he looked over his shoulder to greet her, offering a small and gentle smile.

After walking for a few more silent minutes in the cold, the two made it to the parking lot in the front of the campus and Levi unlocked and opened the door for Eren. He closed it and hurried over to his side, then started the car and turned on the seat warmers.

He turned to look at Eren, who met his eyes with an amused look, he quirked a brow and she started to tremble as she tried to hold in her laughter. “And what exactly is so funny?”

“Y-you” she forced out, “I-I can’t tell if you’re nervous or embarrassed being around me a-and” she paused to let another laugh escape, “I can’t help but think, ‘how cute’” she turned and offered him the cheesiest grin she could muster.

Levi felt his eye twitch and took a deep breath, “Did you really just call a grown man cute?” he asked, turning his face and pulling out the parking space. She laughed more in response so he continued, “I’m not embarrassed, I can tell you that much.”  He left the lot and headed towards the street, smiling when he heard her giggles stop.

Before turning out on the street, he turned and looked at her, smirking at the pink blush that dusted her cheeks as the information processed. ‘I’m not embarrassed, but you sure as hell do make me nervous,’ he thought, then sped out on the street, relishing in the whimper that escaped her lips.

Eren gripped the seat for dear life as Levi sped towards her other part-time job. ‘Damn it Eren, why did you tease him, you know he drives like a maniac when he-AHHHHHH’ her thoughts were interrupted by the mental scream that left her mouth agape and eyes wide as Levi zipped into a parking space, nearly hitting the car in front and behind him.

She felt her body tense up and shake.

Then she heard the raucous laughter from the driver’s side.  “You really should see your face right now. Actually…” Levi trailed off and Eren heard him shuffling through something. She turned her face to look and was surprised when she was met with the back of his phone. It took her a few moments to process that he was taking pictures of her shocked, confused, then offended face, but it was too late by the time she realized.

“H-hey!” she shouted, reaching for his phone, which he retracted and held behind his back. “Let me see those!” she said, she took off her seat belt, allowing her a wider range of movement, and tried to reach behind him.

“Are you going to delete them if you don’t like them?” he questioned, smirking as he leaned closer to the window and further from Eren.

“Of course I am, why would I let you keep a dumb looking picture of me?” She was stretched across the space in the coupe, leaning most of her weight on the cup holder in between the seats.

“Then I guess you won’t be seeing them.” He stated, easily holding back a laugh.

She pouted and began to pull back, but she lost her precariously placed balance and tumbled forward into Levi’s lap.

Everything froze for a moment as the two took in their new position. Levi was leaning back towards the driver window looking down with a wide eyed expression as Eren lay face down in his lap. He quickly regained the ability to think and set his phone on the side, then helped her lift herself up. Their eyes met for a moment and Levi felt his heart beating harder in his chest.

Her eyes were wide and her cheeks were bright red. Her lips were parted in a surprised expression and to Levi they looked very, _very_ inviting. He raised a hand to her face, cradling her chin and cheek while his thumb slowly slid over her bottom lip. He saw her lips move, and he heard her voice, but he didn’t understand what it was she was saying. He licked his lips and then stared into her confused and questioning eyes. It was then that he realized what it was those tantalizing lips of her had been mouthing.

“-vi…Levi are you okay?”

He released her and she pushed herself up and out of his lap, and back towards her seat. They sat, processing what happened before they both turned to speak.

“Le-”

“Eren-“

“You go ahead,” Eren said, throwing up her hands defensively.

“No, it’s alright, you speak first Eren.”

She looked down and to the side before lowering her hands, “Alright…what I was going to say was…are you feeling okay?” She looked into his eyes as she addressed him.

“I” he paused, “I’m alright, I think…Eren…we need to talk about a few things.” He met her eyes with a heated stare of his own.

She nodded and added quietly, “Yea… it looks like we do.”

* * *

After their awkward incident in the car, the two made their way into the café Eren worked at on the weekends and during the week. Levi ordered a black coffee and Eren got a vanilla latte with extra whip cream. They sat in a private corner table and waited for their orders to be ready. When the buzzer went off, Levi returned it and brought both his and Eren’s drink orders.

He sat down and took a deep breath.

“Eren,” he started, looking directly into her brilliant green eyes, “How do feel about me?” He purposely left the question open ended, hoping that she answered as honestly as possible.

Eren took an experimental sip of her latte and sputtered at the heat of the coffee and the intensity of Levi’s question. “How I feel …about you?” she questioned aloud, she looked down and played with her fingers while she tried to think of a response. “Well, I feel a lot of things when I’m around you,” she started, then back up to meet his steady, calming gaze, “sometimes I feel nervous or uncomfortable, other times I feel really giddy and excited…,” she looked down and smiled at her fingers, “but most of the time I just feel really calm…like… I don’t know how to put this? Um, kind of like…we just fit...?” she started to trail off and mumble nervously.

Levi sighed and took a sip of his coffee, ‘She still makes it better’ he thought as the flavor and her words processed. “So, you mostly feel comfortable around me? Would you say I put you at ease… or on edge?”

Eren thought for a moment before she nodded, “Yes, something like that, comfortable is a good way to describe it. But, I’m not sure about the last two… I mean, you don’t put me at ease per say, I do feel safe around you, but I sometimes I get a weird, fluttery feeling in my stomach that makes me really nervous and aware… yes, that’s the word, I’m really aware of you.”

“Aware? Elaborate on that.”

“Well, it’s like I care more about how I interact with you… I notice things more when I’m with you compared to when I’m with other people…um…sorry, is this making any sense?”

“Perfect sense.” He let out a small sigh of relief. ‘At least I know she isn’t repulsed by me.’

She started sipping her latte again. “How do you feel about us then?”

Eren looked up from her drink and met Levi’s serious steel colored eyes. “Us…? As in, our relationship?”

“Yes. What do you think about our current relationship, as in, what do you like, dislike, or wish to change about it?”

Eren nodded that she understood and thought about it for a few moments.

“I…I think that I like whatever it is we have,” she scrunched her brows a bit in thought, “because it feels natural. And I really like that, but I also feel like we’re lacking something…important. I don’t really care for labels, but I really don’t know what it is we have…so I can’t honestly tell you what it is I like and dislike or even what I want to change.”

“Fair enough.” He said, smiling and taking a drink of his coffee. “Then may I suggest something?” Eren nodded and he continued, “Would you like to try and ‘label’ whatever it is that we have?” he used air quotes on the word ‘label’ for added emphasis.

“Okay. And how would you ‘label’ us?” Eren asked, repeating the air quoting gesture.

“Well, for starters, I just want to make one more thing clear.” He set his cup down, looking Eren directly in the eyes, “Eren, do you like me?”

“I-” she looked down and to the side, trying her best to avoid his heated stare. He lightly tapped the back of her hand, brushing his fingers over it and resting his hand on top of hers.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to be nervous.”

She swallowed and turned to face him, “I-I think I do…but I-I’m not sure.”

He smiled and gently squeezed her hand before pulling it back to his side of the table, “I can work with that.”

“Eren.” He waited for her to look back up at him before continuing, “I like you. I’m honestly not sure if it’s a little or a lot, but I want to try and find out if you are willing to do the same.”

She stared at him as the words processed, she nodded, but an air of confusion remained in her eyes as she searched his for further clarification.

“Eren, will you go out with me?” Levi clarified, hoping that bluntly asking would rid the cloud of confusion that fell over her.

“Okay.” She stated, smiling and then turning red as she shrunk back into her seat, hiding behind her half-gone latte.

Levi felt a small weight lifted off of his chest and took in a deep breath. He sat and enjoyed the quiet that settled between them as he finished off his drink, and thought of all the ramifications of this decision, all of which he felt would be worth the trouble of getting to know the young woman sitting across from him. There was still so much he wanted to know, her childhood, where she came from, what brought her here, and why he was lucky enough to have crossed paths with her. He pulled out his phone to check the time and narrowed his eyes at how quickly the time had gone by, they’d have to leave soon if he wanted to make sure Eren got to class on time.

“Alright,” he broke the silence, “since we’re going to do this, there are a few official things we’re going to have to go over.” Eren perked up and nodded. “Let’s give this a week to settle in, if after a week from today, you’re certain you want to continue to be in a relationship with me, then we need to go together and sit down with the dean of students and president of the university to let them know. Student and faculty relationships aren’t illegal, but the school has to be aware of them. Understand?”

“Yes, that makes sense…but shouldn’t we tell them as soon as possible? I don’t want you to get in trouble.” She gave him a concerned look.

“If you’re going to worry, then worry about your grades, not me.” He stood up from his seat and picked up Eren’s empty coffee cup. “We better get going if you want to make it to class on time.” Eren nodded and started towards the door while Levi returned his empty cup to the counter and threw Eren’s in the trash.

When they got in the car, Eren turned to Levi and said, “I’ll have you know, my grades are just fine.”

He rolled his eyes and started the engine, “It’s only been three days, so everyone’s grades are _just fine_.”

Eren scrunched her nose and then turned to look out of the window and pout. After a minute passed, she began to wonder why her stomach still felt intact and the car wasn’t moving.

“Eren.” She turned and was faced with Levi’s phone again; he snapped a few quick pictures and then laughed before showing them to her. He kept a firm grip on his phone as he flicked through the images, all of which Eren hated and told him to delete. He refused and settled on one of the one’s he’d just taken as her new icon image.

“Can I at least take of picture of you for my phone too?” Eren whined.

“Nope.”

“That’s not fair! You have all those unattractive candid’s and I get nothing.”

“Yep.” He smiled as he ripped out of the parallel parking space. At a red light, he glanced over to a pouting Eren and laughed, “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of chances to get a good one, I am _your_ boyfriend now.”

Eren’s face turned pink as her annoyed expression faded and was replaced with a bubbly one, it made her already youthful look even more enticing. Levi had a quick debate with himself over whether or not to take advantage of the moment, and decided not to take _full_ advantage. He checked to make sure the light was still red and then leaned over towards Eren, placing a light and quick peck on her already reddened cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm so cheesy but I like cheese okay so lay it on me.


	12. The Visit Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own SNK, if I did, no one would be dead.
> 
> A/N
> 
> This chapter is going to make my next dental visit expensive…all the cavities!!! >//n//

**Chapter 11 – The Visit - Part 1**

“-ren? Eren? Hello, earth to Eren?” Armin waved a hand in his friend’s face, in an attempt to pull her out of her daze.

“Huh?” Eren looked up at her friend, smiling sheepishly when she realized her thoughts had taken her attention away from their small get-together. “Sorry, what was that?”

Armin sighed and shook his head, smiling as he plopped down next to her on the couch in his dorm’s common room.

“I was trying to ask if you wanted to do anything while we wait for the others to come. Mikasa’s tied up for another hour because she’s helping out with the Judo classes that start next week, and the rest of the guys are still in or just getting out of practice.”

“Oh,” was all Eren said in response, her thoughts drifting back to earlier in the day when Levi took her out for coffee, and asked her to be his girlfriend, and then kissed her… well, kissed her cheek, but still, it was a kiss and Eren just couldn’t stop thinking about it. She’d never dated anyone before; she’d never had time, nor really cared enough to bother with all the drama involved. Sure, in high school she’d had a few dates to the dances, but she spent most of her younger years either working or hanging out with Armin and Mikasa, much like she did now. 

“Eren?”

“Hmm…yes, what’s up?” She turned and saw Armin with a questioning look on his face.

“Alright, care to tell me what’s got your mind so preoccupied?” Armin pulled his feet up and sat against the arm of the sofa, settling himself into a comfortable position and facing Eren.

Eren mimicked him, only, she let her legs stretch out to take up the unoccupied space on the sofa that lay in between them. She grabbed one of the throw pillows and squeezed it to her chest, burying her face in it for a moment before looking up to meet Armin’s gaze.

“I don’t really know if I can honestly…” Eren trailed off as she remembered one of Levi’s conditions, ‘ _Let’s give this a week to settle in,’_ she sighed and then decided she wouldn’t mention specifics. ‘I’ve known Armin almost all my life, he’d never do or say anything that would hurt me or the people I care about.’ The thought was enough to calm her nerves and she began again, “Armin, do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Of course, you can talk to me about anything Eren, you know that,” he offered her a reassuring smile as she readjusted and settled the pillow into her lap.

“Have you ever dated anyone before? I mean, like serious, all exclusive dated?”

“No, not exactly. I mean, I would have told you if I ever found anyone serious.”

“O-oh…you’re right, sorry that was a silly thing to ask.” Eren directed her nervous energy to the pillow, as she squeezed and released it repeatedly.

“Why do you ask?” Armin continued on, “Is there someone you’re interested in?”

The question caused Eren to look back up at him with a wide eyed and somewhat pleading look. “Well, you could say that…” she trailed off and looked back down at the pillow.

“Is it anyone I know?” Armin’s interest peeked. At Eren’s reluctance to answer he began to run through a list of possibilities, “…Reiner?”

“No, no,” Eren shook her head, “he’s hot, but definitely not my type, besides, aren’t he and Annie dating?”

Armin chuckled, “Is it Marco?”

Eren smiled and shook her head, “Wrong again, next.”

Armin smiled and tried again, “Bert?”

Eren scrunched her nose and tried to think about who ‘Bert’ could be.

“Bertolt. The tall, dark, and handsome one who is always sweating from practice.” Armin clarified for his confused friend. “I think it’s safe to assume he’s a no too?”

Eren laughed at him and nodded.

“What about…Jean?” Armin bit his lip to hold back his laughter at the look of disgust that passed over Eren’s face.

“Hell no!” she shouted a bit louder than necessary. “How could you even think that?” She puffed out her cheeks and pulled her legs up to curl up around the pillow and hide her pouting face.

Armin lost his composure and burst out laughing, barely able to speak out “S-sorry I couldn’t help it!”

Eren glared up at him playfully from behind her pillow and took advantage of the moment. She bounced over to the opposite end of the sofa and started to tickle Armin as punishment for his ridiculous implication. Armin’s laughter grew louder and Eren’s joined in with his as the two friends tickled each other in a childish competition between young adults.

Armin finally stopped his attacks and held up his hands defensively, yielding the win to Eren as they both came down off of their giggle induced high. He wiped the tears that formed in his eyes and stared over to Eren who was doing the same.

“Oh no…it can’t be…is it me?!” He asked playfully.

Eren looked at him with wide eyes and placed both of her hands on her cheeks, making an exaggerated ‘O’ with her mouth.

“How _ever_ did you figure that out, braniac.” She gently punched him in the shoulder.

Their eyes met and the laughing fest began anew.

After several more minutes of laughter, silence returned to the room as the two tried to regulate their breathing. Armin looked over to Eren and decided to try again.

“Eren,” she turned and looked at him, “is everything alright?”

Eren smiled and nodded her head, “Everything’s fine Armin, a little confusing but it’s fine…I promise, I’ll be able to tell you more about it soon, so don’t worry.”

Armin studied her with a serious look for a moment as he searched her eyes for any indication of lying, “Okay, but I expect a full and detailed report when you’re able to talk about it.”

“Detailed report on what?” The voice cut in after Armin finished speaking. Jean came into view and walked around the sofa, plopping down next to Eren and placing his arm behind her head on the cushions. “Sharing  juicy secrets without me?” He smirked wiggled his brow at Eren.

“No. Actually we were just talking about you…” Eren said, glaring both at him and at his arm, annoyed with the close proximity. She scooted closer to Armin, practically forcing him to move to the corner of the sofa.

“R-really…what about me?” Jean asked excitedly, a slight blush coming to his cheeks. He scooted closer to Eren who instinctively leaned back and heavily into Armin’s personal space.

“…about how you and the others were taking your sweet ass time to get here.”

Jean’s face fell and he moved away from Eren, but only an inch or so. His arm however remained draped over the back of the sofa and close to Eren’s head.

“W-whatever, we had practice. It’s not like I look this good without putting in some effort.” Jean smirked and lifted the arm behind Eren’s head to show off his ‘good looks’ by flexing his biceps.

Eren just rolled her eyes and let out a dramatic sigh. “Wow,” she turned to look at Jean, “you should be real proud of that,” she pointed to his flexed arm, “I’ve never seen such a good looking noodle.”

Armin had to slap his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing and Eren fixed Jean with her own smirk. “Shut up Yeager.” He lowered his arm back to the sofa and scooted closer to Eren, ignoring the icy look she was sending him.

The three were soon joined by the rest of their friends, trickling in one after another. Eren managed to find herself comfortably snuggled up between Mikasa and Armin, while Jean sulked at the other end of the cramped sofa space with Marco comforting him. Reiner and Bertolt sat on the other smaller sofa with Annie fit comfortably in between them.

By the time Eren was ready to go home, they’d watched two movies and gone through 4 large oven-bake pizzas. In a last ditch effort to salvage his hurt pride, Jean offered to drive Eren home since it was nearing the early hours of the morning. She politely declined, sensing that she’d bullied him enough for one night.

 Armin ended up driving her home and she was grateful for it. At 2:04 AM, Eren walked into her apartment and made her way to her bedroom to get ready for bed and charge her dead phone. She made sure that it was properly plugged before she moved to her drawers to grab clean night clothes, and then made her way to the bathroom to wash the sweat and dirt that had accumulated throughout the day away.

When she finally laid her head to her pillow, Eren reached over to her nightstand and turned on her phone to set her alarm. After a few seconds of startup and programmed greetings and animations, Eren clicked on her alarm app and set it for 6:50 AM. She was about to set her phone down when the screen quickly re-lit and vibrated a few times.

‘Two new messages?’ She contemplated just laying the phone down and ignoring the messages until she got up later that morning, but something urged her to click on the message icon.

Both were from Levi.

  **[Received 8:15 PM] Levi :**   _I_ _know we planned to have dinner again tomorrow evening, but I need to cancel that. Family is coming over. I don’t think you’re quite ready to meet my parents._

 **[Received 10:04 PM] Levi :** _I’m sorry if I upset you, how about we have a late lunch instead? I’ll pick you up, let me know when you get off work tomorrow._

Eren giggled to herself and hugged her phone to her chest as she sighed. She quickly typed back her response and then set the phone to rest on her nightstand.

 **[Sent 2:32 AM]** _Sorry for the delay, my phone died and I just got home to charge it. Lunch sounds great, I’m supposed to get off at 1 but I’ll text you just to make sure. See you tomorrow <3_

Eren rolled over in bed, turning to lay on her side. She’d just started to doze off when the violent vibration roused her again.

 **[Received 2:36 AM] Levi:**   _A little late to just be getting home don’t you think? Well, enjoy it while you can. See you later today._

Eren scrunched her nose and huffed. ‘Wow, he’s even sarcastic over texts.’

 **[Sent 2:36 AM]**   _I’m young and enjoying my college life, what’s your excuse for being up so late Professor?_

She kept her phone in her hands this time, knowing that Levi was awake and likely to respond.

 **[Received 2:38 AM] Levi :** _I wouldn’t be awake right now if someone didn’t feel the need to respond to texts at 3 AM. You have work soon Eren, go to bed. Sleep well._

Eren laughed at his chiding and sent her last reply of the night.

 **[Sent 2:39 AM]** _I wouldn’t still be awake if you didn’t reply to my responses you know. :P_

_Thanks, goodnight._

 Eren set her phone down and let her heavy lids shut as sleep finally came to her.

 

* * *

 Levi’s preparations for his parent’s stay as well as for his niece began only one day prior to his confession to Eren. He had planned for them to have a nice cozy dinner and maybe watch a few movies together, however his plans were abruptly changed when he received a call from his younger sister, warning him of their parent’s intentions as well as the fact that they had her daughter, since she was stuck in an overseas business trip for another week.

His parents had already planned and paid for a vacation when they received the call from their daughter about babysitting. Caroline, Levi’s younger sister, homeschooled her daughter Claire, so missing school wasn’t a huge deal when Caroline was occasionally forced to leave her home office and travel. Of course their parents agreed, thinking they would be able to cancel their plans and get a full refund, but they weren’t able to.

After Caroline explained the situation, Levi agreed to watch Claire for the next week, allowing both Caroline and their parents to continue their trips. Levi suggested leaving Claire in a boarding child care center, but Caroline was worried about leaving her alone with complete strangers for an entire week.

He’d just finished fixing up the guest bedroom for his niece, changing the sheets to freshly washed ones and fluffing up the pillows. As a finishing touch, he placed the smallest teddy bear that he’d purchased from the bookstore the day before on the freshly fluffed pillow.

After he finished refreshing the room, he moved to the kitchen and began preparations for lunch. He’d decided on a simple, but comforting onion and beef soup that he could cook in the crock-pot since he wasn’t positive on what time Eren would be released from work. He prepared the bread slices and wrapped them up and set them into the fridge until he needed them.

Once the lunch was in the works and his loft was up to shape, he slipped on his running shorts and a muscle shirt, and then made his way to the gym to get a quick cardio session in. After an hour on the treadmill, he made his way back to shower and get dressed.

He settled at his desk and started gathering and sorting through his materials for the next week of classes. After about two hours passed, he got up to check the soup and turned the cooker from high to low. He checked his phone and read that he had a message from Eren saying that she was going to be let out a bit late because a new shipment came in. Levi sighed and leaned back into his chair as he sent a reply.

 **[Sent 11:34 AM]** _That’s fine. What time will you be out?_

About thirty minutes passed before his phone buzzed.

 **[Received 12:03 PM] Eren:** _Hopefully soon, we’re getting through this pretty quickly, it was a small shipment. I’ll say 1:30ish? Sorry for the trouble._

He read it over and then quickly responded.

 **[Sent 12:04 PM]** _Alright, I’ll be in the parking lot at 1:30 then. See you soon._

Another hour and a half passed, and Levi found himself sat in his coupe, leaning back into his heated seats as he waited for Eren to come out. Ten minutes later he felt his phone buzz, and then another two minutes passed before he saw her form hurrying towards his car. The wind was fairly strong, and mussed her already wild brown locks even more as they whipped in the wind.

Eren popped into the heated seat and immediately relaxed into the warm black leather. “This is nice,” she breathed out, leaning one of her chilled cheeks onto the heated material.

“Hello to you too.” Levi said, raising a brow at her disheveled yet endearing appearance. He reached over and ran his fingers through her hair a few times, detangling it a bit and smoothing it out. Eren let out a winded laugh and leaned into his hand, letting her eyes close while he played with her hair.

“Hi,” she opened her eyes and grinned. They shared a short moment of silence, enjoying their little moment of closeness until Eren’s stomach growled. She quickly put her hand on her stomach and offered an apologetic smile to Levi, “I’m hungry.”

He toyed with her hair a moment longer then pulled his hand away, and placed it on the wheel, “Then let’s go eat.”

He zipped out of the parking space and a few minutes later, parked in his own familiar space outside his building.

 

Eren hobbled out of the car, ‘You think I’d be used to this by now,’ she thought to herself and internally cursed when she saw the amused look on Levi’s face, ‘he did that on purpose, I know it.’

* * *

 Eren sat at the dinner table, nursing the glass of water Levi had given her while he finished up preparations for lunch. She’d watched him place some slices of cheese and herb coated bread into the oven to toast and then pull two decent sized bowls from his cupboard. He opened the little pot that was plugged into the wall and then stirred whatever was inside of it, from the smell of it, and the nonstop, highly audible growling of Eren’s stomach, it was sure to be delicious. She waited anxiously in her chair for the meal and all but yanked it out of Levi’s hands when he gave her the filled bowl.

It took all of Eren’s self restraint to wait for Levi to sit down and adjust himself before digging into the delectable stew. She dipped her spoon into the soup and blew on it quickly, then tasted it. ‘T-this is delicious…wow…’ she looked up at Levi with wide eyes and then focused back on the meal in front of her. After a few more minutes of impatient slurps and hungry lapping, Eren looked up from her meal to see that Levi had yet to start eating.

She raised her brow at him; silently question what was wrong since she currently had a spoonful of delicious beef and onion soup occupying her mouth. She finished that spoonful and took a quick sip of water before addressing Levi’s obvious stare.

“What’s wrong? Are you not hungry?”

“Nothing’s wrong. Your eating habits are actually quite entertaining; I was distracted by the show.” He smirked dipped his spoon into the soup, breaking up the soup soaked bread into a few pieces before letting a spoonful of his creation pass his lips. He finished his meal, watching Eren eat the whole time.

When she was finished, she wiped at her lips and took another quick sip of water. She sat and waited for Levi to finish before she took both of their dishes to the sink and began washing them.

Levi was a bit surprised by her offering to take his dishes, but he let her do as she liked. He was pleased that she’d done the dishes immediately and let a small smile rest on his face as he joined her in the kitchen.

“You don’t have to wash them you know,” he said, reaching into the sink and pulling out the cleaned dishes to dry them.

“I know, just think of it as a thank you for preparing such a delicious meal.” She turned to him with a sweet smile on her lips. She rinsed the last dish and handed it to Levi before she rinsed her hands and then dried them. She made her way to living area and sat on the familiar slate colored velvet love seat.

After drying and putting the last dish away, Levi followed Eren to the living room and joined her on the same small sofa. He grabbed the remote and hit the power button to turn his flat screen on. He placed his arm over the back of the small sofa, behind Eren’s head as he flipped through the channels. Eren thought back to the previous night when Jean had done a similar thing, but then quickly chased the thought away as she leaned a bit closer to Levi.

“Anything you want to watch?” Levi asked as he scooted a bit closer to Eren, letting his arm wrap behind her head and resting his hand on her shoulder.

“Not really, I saw the two movies I’ve been dying to see last night with my friends,” she tensed a moment when she felt his hand on her shoulder, but then relaxed and leaned her head down to rest on his shoulder, “Re-runs are fine.”

With a satisfied smile on his face, Levi fully wrapped his arm around Eren, bringing her closer to him as he flipped to a channel that was showing a marathon of ‘Will and Grace.’ “Re-runs it is then,” he felt a slight shiver from Eren as she rested on his chest, “Are you cold?”

“A bit,” Eren said, looking up at him. He lightly tapped her shoulder and she raised herself up. He stood and walked over to the chaise and pulled the oversized white plush blanket off of it, then returned to the seat to drape it over Eren and himself. After readjusting, he returned to his previous position and invited Eren back into his arms.

She shyly smiled at the invitation but scooted close and leaned back onto him anyway, allowing herself to be wrapped with both his strong arm and the fluffy white blanket.

They sat in this position until early evening, when Levi’s parents were due and he had to begin to prepare dinner. Eren offered to help him, but he declined the offer, thinking it to be rude to have her help him but then ask to her to leave before she got to eat anything.

 He took her home and walked her back to her apartment. As they stood in the doorway saying their goodbyes and making plans for the next week, Eren leaned down and placed a quick, chaste peck on Levi’s cheek. She smiled shyly and said one more, speedy goodbye before she closed the door.

She leaned against the door for support while her heart pounded in her chest, while Levi stood in front of her door, his hand over the spot where her lips had just been and a surprised expression on his face. He blinked a few times, then dropped his hand and made his way back to his coupe. He wore a small smile on his way home and throughout the rest of the night as his parents came by for dinner and to drop Claire off.


	13. The Visit Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own SNK, if I did, no one would be dead.  
> A/N  
> Just in case you forgot (it’s been a while since he’s been mentioned), Ian is Eren’s boss at the Café.  
> Also, this was my longest chapter yet! This was just supposed to be a quick thing…but then the plot monster took a hold of me and this happened. I had way too much fun writing this.

**The Visit -Part 2**

Levi stood at his kitchen sink, rinsing off the last of the dishes used for dinner. His parents stayed to catch up with him for a few hours before they left to return to their hotel. Once they’d gone, Levi put Claire to bed and got started on the cleanup.

As he set the dishes on the drying rack, he thought back to the first time Eren had come over. He smiled thinking, ‘I bet she would be right here drying them for me.’ While he waited for the dishes to drip dry, he started to wipe down the counter tops then moved to clean the kitchen table. He straightened out his living room then returned to the kitchen to put the dried dishes away.

Once he was satisfied with the condition of his apartment, he returned to his bedroom and readied himself for bed. After he showered, brushed his teeth, then dressed in his night clothes, Levi walked over to his bed and pulled back the dark gray satin duvet along with his freshly washed white bed sheets, he sat down on the edge of his bed and reached for his phone.

He double checked to make sure it was properly plugged and charging, then opened his alarm app to change the settings. Claire’s presence would disrupt his usual schedule, so he had to adjust for it. He set the alarm to wake him up at 8 AM, a few hours later than when he normally would rise.

As he exited the app, he noticed that he had a message and clicked on the icon to open it.

 **[Received 10:46 PM] Eren:** _Lunch was delicious, thanks for having me over. Sleep well Levi._

He chuckled as he read Eren’s message, thinking back to earlier in the day. It had been an exceptionally fine day.

 **[Sent 11:50 PM]** _You’re welcome. It was fun. Do you work tomorrow?_

He typed back his reply and turned his attention to his bed, removing the decorative pillows and placing them at the foot of his luxurious king-sized bed. Once he’d cleared the space enough to make it comfortable enough for him sleep, he moved back up and slid under the covers. As soon as his head hit the pillow, a buzzing noise alerted him of a new message.

 **[Received 11:54 PM] Eren:** _Yes, it was. :] I work at the café all day tomorrow. Why?_

He let out a long sigh at how much younger she seemed through her texts as he sent his response.

 **[Sent 11:55 PM]** _No reason. Good night Eren, sleep well._

He moved into a more comfortable position and then closed his eyes, welcoming sleep to take him.

* * *

 “Welcome, how may I serve you today miss?” Eren cheerfully asked her next guest.

 Business had picked lately at the café, so much so, that Eren was scheduled to work every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Ian even asked if she could come on Mondays and Fridays for the next several weeks. She’d reluctantly agreed to the extra shifts, it meant that her check would be that much larger, but she was still worried that it would cut too much into her study and personal time. Ian reassured her that it was only going to be for a month or so, but his reassurance did little to calm her unease about the added workload.

“Yes, I’d like a mocha with a double shot of espresso, a Berry Medley Waffle with the yogurt on the side, and a chocolate croissant.”

Eren nodded and entered the order into the register. “Yes ma’am, your total is 14.98.”

The guest pulled out a twenty dollar bill and handed it to Eren. She rang in the sell and then gave the guest her change. She then coded the sensor and handed it to the guest, thanking her, and then turning her attention to the next guest in line. After repeating this process four more times, Eren was finally able to get started on the orders.

Sasha had taken vacation to visit her parents, leaving only Eren and Connie as the ‘senior’ workers. The boss hired several temporary employees, but they were young, inexperienced, and slow to pick up on all the details and quality expected of the Café’s standards. Connie wasn’t scheduled to come in until later in the afternoon, and Eren was the only one who showed up to work that morning. The temp that was scheduled to help Eren had yet to show his face and she was quickly becoming overwhelmed with the workload. She had to take the orders, make them and get them to the guests in a timely manner all by herself. The boss had been held up in his office since Eren clocked in that morning, so he was no help to her either.

After nearly an hour of taking and filling orders without reprieve had passed, Eren finally had the chance to sneak into the back and ask Ian if he could call someone in to help her for the next four hours until Connie showed up. As she approached his office, she heard him talking.

Not wanting to interrupt his conversation, she paused outside his slightly cracked door. After a minute or so had passed without hearing Ian’s voice, she deemed it safe enough to knock on his door. She lifted her hand and knocked lightly, then slowly pushed the already cracked door open.

“Ah, Eren perfect timing!” Ian cheerfully exclaimed. “I found some temporary help for you on the weekends, since it seems the other boy I scheduled you with, has no intention of ever returning to work here.”

Eren’s mood lifted at the start of the news, “Really sir? That’s great, thank you.”

“Of course, I can’t just leave you alone out there. I couldn’t ask Connie to come in earlier because he has another job he works on the weekends, and the rest of the temps are obviously not trained well enough to be of much help to you right now, so I called my nephew and asked him to put in a few hours a week for me.”

Eren nodded in agreement with his reasoning, and then questioned, “Your nephew sir?”

“Yes, he’s a good kid, though he can be a bit obnoxious. He goes to the same school as you too, so you might actually know him.”

“Oh, it’s possible. What’s his name?” she asked earnestly.

“Yes, it’s-“ Ian cut off mid sentence and directed his gaze over Eren’s shoulder, “Ah, Jean you’re here already, that was fast.”

Eren’s eyes widened in shock, she tensed and buried the urge she had to turn around. ‘No…no…no, this isn’t real…is this a joke, is God just playing a huge, crappy joke on me, surely there are other ‘Jeans’ at Rose U. there have to be…oh God.’

Ian extended his hand, inviting Eren to turn around and greet the newcomer, “Eren, this is Jean, he’ll be working with you during your extra shifts the next few weeks, I hope you two get along well.”

Eren released a shallow sigh, then closed her eyes and forced the fakest smile she could onto her face as she he turned and then opened her eyes.

“Hi Jean.” She offered him a small wave then turned to speak over her shoulder, “Sir, I’m going to go back out and check on the guests. Thank you for…finding me help.” She gave Jean a warning look and strode past him; back out into the front of the café.

“W-wait, I’ll go with you,” he stammered out.

“Not just yet Jean,” Ian cut in, “I need you to fill out a few papers and then you need to go change into your uniform. It still fits right?”

“Right, I almost forgot. And yea, it fits fine.”

“Great. Here, since you’ve worked here before there’s not much for you to fill out, but because it’s been a while and you’re only going to be temporary, there is an additional set you have to fill out, it shouldn’t take more than ten minutes though.”

Jean nodded and sat down; he grabbed a pen off of his uncle’s desk and then began to fill out the papers.

“So, you two know each other?”

Jean looked up from his chicken scrawl and nodded, “Yea, we met at Dr. Pixis’ holiday party. We were set up as each other’s date for the night.”

“And?” Ian leaned forward in his chair, urging his nephew to go on.

“Uh, well we don’t really talk much in school, we don’t have any classes together or anything, but she’s always around the same group of people I hang with so we run into each other pretty often. She doesn’t seem to like me much though.”

“So you like her then?”

Jean’s face turned a shade redder as he stuttered out, “N-no, well not, no, but not like either…I don’t know. She’s cute I guess.”

“She is pretty adorable, I’m so lucky that she applied. She’s a hard worker, the customers love her, and she looks great in the uniform.”

“Y-yea she does…” Ian’s quirked brow pulled Jean out of his short fantasy, “I-I mean, yea, it looks good on her.”

“Alright, finish up. I have a few calls to make and Eren’s out there all alone.”

Jean nodded and quickly finished the forms, handed them in and then dismissed himself to change into the uniform.

When he went out to help Eren, he stood, shocked for a moment, while he took in the scene. There was a line of people that stretched nearly to the entrance and the guest that Eren was currently helping seemed to be dissatisfied with something, and had he no problem taking it out on Eren.

Jean walked over and stood firmly next to her, “Is there a problem here?”

Eren looked up to him, and he could see how flustered and frustrated she was, her face red and her eyes glossy. Before Eren could explain the situation, the customer cut in, “Yes there is, I ordered the brunch but this girl here,” the man pointed to Eren, “is saying that she won’t make it for me.” 

“Sir, I simply said that we did not have all the ingredients necessary to make the complete brunch. Our shipment of lettuce has yet to arrive so we don’t have any to make the salad. I never said that wouldn’t make it for you, I just wanted to let you know that I could not make the salad part.”

Jean looked down at Eren’s upset face and then back to the man, “Sir, is there something that you’d like to substitute for the salad, perhaps an extra waffle or cut fruit perhaps?”

The man turned his attention from Eren and then looked to Jean, “I want the brunch. If you can’t make it, then don’t advertise it.”

Jean put a reassuring hand on Eren’s shoulder as he spoke to her, “Eren, go into the back and get the manager.” She looked up at him for a moment with slightly narrowed, suspicious eyes, then nodded and darted towards the back.

Jean turned his attention back to the difficult customer, “Sir, if you wouldn’t mind stepping to the side and waiting while my partner brings out our manager. I apologize for this, but there is a line of people behind you waiting to be served. We will try and make up for our mistake.”

The man narrowed his eyes, but stepped to the side nonetheless. Jean thanked him then took the orders of the rest of the guests in line. After he’d gone through three people, Eren returned to the front, following closely behind Ian. She directed him to the difficult customer and left Ian to try and satisfy him. She returned to Jean’s side and started to fill the orders that had just been made while he continued to take more.

After another thirty minutes had passed, all the orders were finally taken and filled. Ian ended up offering a free meal certificate to the angry man who’d caused the line to backup, then asked Eren to make him a waffle and mocha on the house.

She’d just finished dressing the waffle and the set his drink on the tray when she spotted him sitting right next to the entrance.

“Here you are sir, I hope you enjoy it.” She said as she set the tray down on the table in front of him.

“It took you damn long enough. I don’t know why they let airheads like you work in places like this, it gives them a bad name.”

“E-excuse me sir?”

“You heard me, unless you didn’t finish high school either. Is that why you work here, cause you can’t find anywhere else to hire your dumbass?”

Eren felt the anger and frustration from earlier returning. She knew she needed to walk away. She just needed to swallow her pride and walk away. First rule of customer service, the customer is always right. She was so focused on trying not to go off on the man that she didn’t notice when the familiar and not so familiar faces of Levi and Claire walked into the Café.

“What, you suddenly can’t speak now? Women like you make me sick, you think just because you have a pretty face and a nice body that you can just be rude and get away with whatever the hell you want.” He stopped and took a drink of the free mocha, “and this tastes like shit. Bring me something else.” To make his point, he removed the lid and poured the steaming drink onto the floor, drenching Eren’s feet with the hot coffee and splashing the scalding liquid onto her legs.

Eren screamed and jumped back when the hot coffee hit her flesh. She slipped on the wet floor and fell backwards towards the standing menu near the entrance. The idle chatter of the entire café stopped and all attention was directed to her.

* * *

 Levi awoke to an array of tones and beats arranged together to make his alarm’s sound. He clicked the dismiss option to shut the alarm off and rolled back over to rest a moment longer before deciding to leave his soft, warm sheets.

He stretched and stood from his bed. He went to his bathroom to rinse his face and brush his teeth, then returned, after he felt refreshed, to make his bed and finish getting ready for the day. He scrolled through his agenda on his phone and noted that he had to finish reading through the course introductory questionnaires he gave out to every student in his classes.  He left his bedroom and wandered to the guest bedroom. Claire still slept soundly, so he decided to just make himself a cup of coffee and take the opportunity to read through the remaining questionnaires.

A couple hours later, he heard the door to the guest bedroom creak open followed by light padding noises as his niece wandered out of the room.

He finished the third to last paper in his hand and then turned to greet his still half-asleep niece. “Good morning Claire, sleep well?”

All he got was a sluggish nod and quiet, “mhmm,” which was shortly followed by a yawn.

“Are you hungry?” Levi asked her. She nodded again and walked over to him; he pushed his chair out and let her crawl into his lap. When she was settled snugly, she turned and looked at the papers he had in neat stacks on the table.

“Yea. Are you still working?” she leaned over and started to inspect the papers, as if she was a school teacher grading an essay.

“Just about to finish up,” he said, patting her unruly bed head. “Go get cleaned up and dressed while I finish this. When you’re done I’ll take you to a nice place. How’s that sound?”

“Okay! But I like Uncle Levi’s cooking…,” she slid out of the chair and then started walking towards the guest room, “Can you make dinner again?”

Levi chuckled and turned to face her, “Yes, I’ll make dinner again, what would you like?”

“I’ll eat anything you make! You cook way better than my mom…but don’t tell her I said that…she’ll get mad.”

“Alright then, I won’t say anything.”

“Do you promise? You have to pinky promise.” Claire hurried back over to him and extended her slender pinky, looking at Levi expectantly.

He smiled locked her pinky with his and said, “I pinky promise.” He released her pinky then lightly tapped her on the head, “Now go change and brush your hair, don’t forget to brush your teeth too.”

“Okay!” she ran towards the bedroom and started on her tasks while Levi turned to complete his. Once he’d finished and filed all the papers away, he returned to his own bathroom and looked himself over in the mirror. ‘Maybe I should change too.’

He decided on a black pair of loosely fitting skinny jeans, a white v-neck t-shirt and a dark gray sweater. He completed the look with sleek leather loafers. He grabbed a dark blue scarf and wrapped it loosely around his neck, then went out to check on Claire. She’d dressed herself in a matching pink tracksuit that had a little gray bunny design on her chest. Levi chuckled at how cute she looked and then made sure she put her shoes on properly and was wrapped up snuggly in her jacket.

They made their way down to his car and he buckled her into the back seat before settling himself in. A ten minute drive later, and he was parked outside Eren’s off campus job.

He helped Claire out of the car and walked with her, while firmly holding her hand, to the entrance. Through the glass doors he was both surprised and happy to see Eren out from behind the counter and serving a customer at his table. As he stepped through the door, his smile fell when he heard the viciousness in the customer’s lowered voice.

“- suddenly can’t speak now? Women like you make me sick, you think just because you have a pretty face and a nice body that you can just be rude and get away with whatever the hell you want… and this tastes like shit. Bring me something else.”

Levi’s eyes widened as he watched the man pour the steaming liquid onto Eren. He released Claire’s hand and jumped behind her to catch her falling form and prevent her from hitting her head on the standing menu directly behind her.

“What the fuck is your problem asshole?” he shouted at the man, momentarily forgetting that he had a 9 year old girl with him. He pulled Eren up and held her shaking form close to him. Within a few seconds another worker was on the man, pulling him up by the collar and throwing him out of the café.

“Don’t you dare show your sorry ass around here again.” The worker shouted at the stunned man when his ass hit the cold pavement. He returned inside and tried to take Eren from Levi’s arms. “I’m sorry about that sir, here let me help.”

Levi’s hold on Eren only tightened and he stared at Jean with a questioning look, “Kirstein?”

“Professor Ackerman?”

The two locked each other with a look, both challenging each other to dare and make another move. Eren stirred in between, disrupting their silent competition.

“L-Levi what are you..?” She pulled his arms off of her body and then pushed Jean’s away, “Thank you, I-I’m fine, sorry for making a scene. I need to get this cleaned up.”

Ian rushed out from behind the counter to see Eren moving away from the two worried looking men, he watched as she took a step on a coffee drenched foot and flinched. “Eren, are you okay? What happened here?”

“Sorry, sir it’s my fault. I’ll clean everything up.” She lowered her head and tried to walk past him.

“You’re hurt, go sit down,” he directed her to a table a short distance away and despite her protesting, helped her sit. He turned back to the men, “Jean, get this cleaned up.” Jean nodded and darted towards the back to get the mop and bucket. Ian turned his attention to Levi, who’d gone and pulled a scared and upset Claire back towards him to try and calm her down, “I’m sorry you had to see that sir, is there anything I can do to make up for it?”

Levi looked up at the man and said, “Yes actually, you could let her off early so I can take her home. She’s in no condition to work.”

Eren flushed when she heard Levi’s words, feeling both embarrassed and a little ashamed at herself for causing her boss more trouble.

Ian turned towards to Eren and asked, “Do you know him?”

She quickly nodded and stuttered out, “Y-yes sir…he’s my boyfriend.” Eren quickly slapped her hand over mouth when she realized what she’d said out loud. She looked over to the soiled area and felt her stomach fall when she saw Jean pause his cleaning to stare at her with a wide mouth, if he opened his mouth any wider his jaw might have actually hit the floor. She shot Levi an apologetic face and lowered her gaze down to her, now itching foot.

“Alright then, Eren, you can leave whenever you’re ready. I’m so sorry that this happened. I’ll make sure that that man never sets foot in this establishment again.”

She nodded and then let out a quiet, “Thank you Ian.” He smiled at her then turned to the guests that filled the café, he offered them all a free a drink coupon for their next visit, as an apology for the disturbance.

* * *

 An hour later, Eren was laid out on Levi’s chaise, her foot elevated on two plush pillows and draped in his oversized white throw cover.

Claire, as Eren later found out was the girl’s name, was sitting on the sofa next to where Eren laid, attention focused on the cartoon playing on the TV in front of her. Levi was in the kitchen preparing lunch for all three of them.

“Lunch is ready,” he stated, setting the last dish on top of the glass table top.

Claire bounced up from her seat and raced to the kitchen table. She plopped down into her seat and Levi helped her serve her plate. He chuckled when she scrunched her nose in disgust when placed a few sprigs of asparagus on her plate.  “Do I have to eat all of it?” she whined out.

Levi nodded, “At least eat half of it, otherwise, no dessert.”

By the time he finished preparing Claire’s plate; Eren had made her way to the table and pulled out a chair to sit down. He handed her a plate and let her serve herself.

“This looks great,” she smiled.

“Tastes even better,” he said, sitting down next to her and filling his own plate.

“I bet,” she smirked.

Once Levi finished serving himself, all three dug into their meal and silence fell over the table. Soon satisfied sighs and noises filled the room as they finished off the food. Claire had cleaned her plate by the time Eren was halfway through her second serving.  

Once they’d all filled themselves, Levi cleared the table and brought out three servings of chocolate mousse. They were in little glass dishes, topped with whipped cream, dark chocolate shavings, and raspberries.

Eren stared down at her dish in awe and then watched as Claire dug into her own serving, quickly finishing it and handing the empty dish to Levi. He stood from his seat and helped her clean up, then let her return to watching her cartoon in the living room while he returned to his dessert and to Eren.

Levi raised a brow at Eren, who continued to stare at the dessert, admiring its look. “You know, you’re usually supposed to eat desserts, not stare at them.” He sent her a playful smirk; she puffed her cheeks and picked up the dessert spoon.

“Well excuse me,” she sent her own sly smile back to him, “I thought it was just too pretty to eat.” She broke the surface with her spoon and lifted a hefty serving of the dish to her lips. She wet her lips with her tongue and smirked when she noticed Levi staring intently at her mouth, ‘I’m going to have with this,’ she thought to herself.

Instead of just opening her mouth to stick the spoon in, she stuck her tongue out, and turned the contents of the spoon onto it, then gradually slid the spoon further into her mouth as she closed her lips around it. She removed the spoon slowly, letting it slide past her loosely closed lips and then licked it once more before she started for another spoonful.

After finishing nearly half of the dessert in this manner, she looked over to see Levi’s reaction. She had to bite her lip to keep the laughter from erupting when she saw his mouth slightly agape and his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. She set the spoon down and reached over to his face, lightly placing one finger under his chin and pressing up to shut his jaw.

She let her finger linger on his jaw line for a moment then she slowly retracted her hand and went back to enjoying her dessert.

“You know,” she started, looking up from her nearly finished dish, “you’re usually supposed to eat your _own_ dessert, not stare at someone else eating theirs.”

Levi’s eye twitch in slight annoyance and embarrassment from being caught staring so blatantly.  He turned and started to eat his own dish thinking, ‘she definitely did that on purpose, if Claire was here I’d wipe that smirk right off her face with my…’ he paused his thought and tried to shake it out of his head, ‘no, no, we definitely aren’t there…not yet at least.’

Eren finished her dessert and stood to take her empty dish to kitchen and started working on the dishes. Levi quickly finished his own dish and joined her. He frowned when he saw the slight limp she still had, thinking back to the asshole from earlier in the day.

“Eren, you should go rest, I’ll take care of this.”

She looked down at the reddened and aggravated skin on her foot and sighed. “Alright.”

He helped her lay back down on the chaise, and then wrapped her foot in a cool damp cloth. “Comfortable?” he asked draping the cover over the rest of her body.

“Very, thank you.”

“Do want anything to drink? Coffee…maybe tea?”

Eren chuckled at the annoyed expression on his face when he said ‘coffee.’  “Tea sounds great.”

He smiled and turned to head back to the kitchen. He put the kettle to heat on the stove while he finished washing the dishes and cleaning up. Once the countertops were wiped down and the crumbs were all swept and dumped into the trash, he pulled down two ceramic cups and poured fresh, steaming tea into each one. He made his way to the living room and set his own cup on the coffee table. He walked over to Eren to hand the other to her, and then sat down on the sofa next to Claire.

The three of them sat and watched two movies, one was an animated film about a fairy princess and her friends that Claire begged Levi to rent for the day from one of his pay per view channels, the other was a light hearted comedy about family, love, and life.

 When dinner time rolled around, Levi asked, “Should I cook something or are you alright with me ordering out?”

“You look tired, I’m fine with anything.” Eren said from her comfortable position.

Claire loudly exclaimed, “I love your cooking but Miss Eren is right, you look tired.”

He smiled and leaned back into the sofa, “Alright then, delivery it is, what would you like Claire?”

“Pizza!” she shouted excitedly, jumping into his lap and settling herself comfortably.

He laughed as he reached for his phone, “Pizza it is then,” he turned to Eren, “Any special requests?”

“Anything is fine, though I’d prefer something with chicken or black olives…or both.”

He nodded and then looked down to the young girl clinging to his torso, “And what about you?”

“Lots of cheese!”

He smiled and searched through his contacts for his favorite pizza place; he quickly placed the order then set his phone back down. After another 30 minutes, the chime of his door bell rang through his loft and he grabbed his wallet, paid, and then started to serve their plates.

 He helped Eren back to the dining table and they ate again, only this time, with idle chatter and a few jokes to liven their meal time.  

“Uncle, is Miss Eren staying over tonight too?”

It was an innocent question, but it was enough to make Levi choke on the bits of pizza that slid down his throat the moment it was asked. He quickly gulped down enough water to clear his throat and then took a few more good swigs for good measure.

“N-no Claire, Eren isn’t staying over tonight. What made you think that?”

“Well, she’s been with us all day, so I thought she was staying with you this week too.”

“She can’t exactly stay the night when you’re already here, silly girl, you’re in the guest bedroom, and I can’t let her sleep on the sofa with an injured foot.” Levi pat her head and tried his best to avoid Eren’s amused gaze.

“But why would Eren have to sleep on the couch when she could sleep with you? You have a big bed Uncle; it’s not nice to keep things to yourself, it’s better to share.”

Levi’s eye twitched and Eren’s amused face morphed into an embarrassed one. “Sharing beds is a little different when you’re an adult, but that’s something you should talk to your mother about, not me.”

“Oh, okay.” She accepted the answer and went back to eating her pizza, as if nothing ever happened.

Once they finished, the cleanup process was repeated and Levi had Claire get herself ready for bed. When she was deemed ready, he tucked her in and left the door slightly ajar so he could hear if she needed anything.

While Levi was changing the wet cloth on Eren’s foot again, he spoke, “Just let me know when you’re ready for me to take you home.”

“Anytime is fine, it’s getting late, so the sooner the better. You have to be up early don’t you?”

Levi shook his head, “No, my first class doesn’t start until eleven tomorrow and my office hours are in the afternoon on Mondays.”

“Oh.” Eren wrapped herself tighter in the blanket.

“Cold?” he smiled when she nodded. “Sit up for me.”

Eren quirked her brow, but complied, dropping the cover and pushing her body up and away from the back of the chaise. Levi leaned down on the chaise, then helped her scoot forward a bit so he could lay between her and the back of the chaise. He opened his legs and directed her to lay back; she leaned back into him, letting her head rest against his chest while he wrapped his arms around her torso. He pulled the cover over both of them; careful to avoid her foot, then settled fully into his new position.

“Better?”

“Much.” Eren smiled and relaxed into the hold. Let his head rest on top of hers as they sat in a comfortable silence.

After several minutes of soft breathing and stillness, Levi questioned, “What time do you go in tomorrow?”

“Hmm, I'm still scheduled for the bookstore, so eight?”

“You should call and cancel in the morning; you shouldn’t be walking more than necessary until your foot is completely healed.”

Eren sighed, “How long do you think that’ll take?”

“From the looks of it, probably this whole week,” Eren groaned, “Hey, it could have been worse; at least it didn’t hit your bare skin.”

“That’s true…” she moved a bit, and Levi loosened his grip to allow her to move freely. She tried to lift herself up a bit higher, and without really thinking about it, she pushed her backside against Levi’s opened legs.

 It was an innocent adjustment, but the grinding motion of her soft cheeks against his groin caused Levi’s body to give an extremely honest reaction. He quickly pushed himself further back into the chaise, feeling his cheeks heat up and a burning feeling in his pelvic region. He coughed and tried to think of unappealing things to rid himself of the unexpected arousal.

Eren felt Levi tense against her, and she pushed off enough to turn and question him, “Levi? What’s wrong?” concern evident in her voice. She wasn’t expecting to see him avoid her gaze, and she certainly was not expecting to see his cheeks tinted pink.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” He stammered out, “I think it’s about time I get you home.”

“O-oh, okay.”

“Unless you…?”

“Unless I what?”

Levi avoided her eyes, “Unless you wanted to stay here…?”

“Oh. _Oh._ No, I don’t think…at least not…not now.” Eren quickly twisted her body back around in an attempt to cover her bright red cheeks.

“R-right. Anyway, I’ll go get your shoes, stay here and I’ll help you put them on.”

Eren nodded and he hurried to the door. After several more minutes, and a failed attempt at putting the shoe on her injured foot, Levi decided to wrap it up for her, to protect it from the cold winter weather. Ten minutes later and they were at the door, Levi supporting Eren as they carefully made their way down to his parked car.

When they arrived to her apartment, he helped her inside and stayed while she got ready for bed, ready to help her if she needed it. Before he left, he told her to call him in the morning when she was ready to leave.

“Until it’s completely healed, I’ll drive you around.” Eren nodded in agreement as she walked him to her front door.

“Thank you so much for everything, I really appreciate it.” She smiled, resting her weight on her open door.

He nodded and started down the hallway. Eren bit her lip and quickly called out, “Levi, wait!”

He turned and walked back down to her, “What’s wrong? Is it hurting again?”

“N-no, it’s not that…” she met his eyes and continued, “it’s just that, well, I…” Eren bit her lip and then abruptly leaned down; she closed her eyes and connected their lips in a quick, chaste kiss, and just a quickly straightened up and smiled, “Goodnight.”

 Levi stared, wide eyed for a few seconds before he collected himself, “Eren…?” he offered her a gentle smile, “Yes, goodnight. Sleep well.”

“You too.” She closed the door and let out a deep breath. ‘I can’t believe I just kissed him. I just…I…’ her mind ran wild, she felt like a young teenage girl who’d just had her first kiss. She would’ve skipped if it weren’t for her overly sensitive and itchy annoyance of foot. She settled for happily humming as she limped to her bedroom.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N  
> *cackles and runs away into the distance*


	14. The Confrontation Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin, if I did, no one would be dead.
> 
> A/N
> 
> This is a somewhat short and boring chapter (I think it is anyway, that’s why it took me longer to get it out) because it’s what I deemed necessary filler. I’m honestly a little embarrassed to put this chapter out and there is a really high chance that I will end up editing this chapter again. Anyway, apologies for this, but I hope you still find some level of enjoyment in it.
> 
> *slinks into the shadows*

**Chapter Thirteen: The Confrontation - Part 1**

“Claire are you ready to go?” Levi called from the front entrance.

“Yes, I’m coming!” the girl shouted from the cracked guest bedroom.

After a few moments, Levi watched her dart out of the room, towards him and the doorway. He double checked to make sure her jacket was buttoned up properly and that each of her boots were on the right foot.

“Uncle, are we going to get Miss Eren again?”

Levi nodded and took her gloved hand in his as they walked down the stairwell together. “That’s right. Her foot is still hurt, so we have to help her as much as we can.”

“Do I get to spend the day with her again too?” the young girl chimed excitedly, bouncing about as much as Levi’s firm grip would allow. Within minutes, they were in his car and heading towards Eren’s apartment on that bright but cold Wednesday morning.

“You’ll have to ask her when we pick her up. If she isn’t able to watch you, then you’ll have to sit quietly in my office and behave yourself while I’m lecturing, understand?”

“Yes sir!” Levi smiled into the rearview mirror as he continued down the street, he stopped at the stop sign then turned right, into the complex’s main grounds. He made a left, then another immediate and smooth right before reaching the entrance to Eren’s building. He heard shuffling in the back seat and he turned to see Claire digging around in her little backpack. She pulled out a few thin books, a bag of colors, and small games to show Levi, “See look, I brought stuff to keep busy,” Levi reached back and patted her head and she smiled as wide as her little mouth would allow.

“Good girl, now make sure you put all that back in your bag.” Claire nodded enthusiastically and began replacing her crafts and games into her backpack.

Levi sent Eren a quick text and stalled the car at the nearest exit to wait for her. After three minutes passed, he saw the door open, revealing a heavily grinning Eren with less of a limp in her walk. He unlocked the door as she approached and she plopped down in the front passenger seat.

“Morning,” Levi said, reaching over to run his fingers through Eren’s hair, “you wore it down today, it looks nice.” She smiled shyly and stared into his eyes for a moment. She started to lean forward, intent on meeting his lips with her own for a quick kiss.

“Good morning Miss Eren! You look pretty today!” the little girl in the back bounced up from her seat and latched onto Eren’s shoulder, in a awkwardly positioned hug, completely catching Eren off guard and causing her to jump in her seat from  the surprise.

“G-good morning Claire,” Eren tried to hide her embarrassment with a forced smile, “you look cute today too.”

Claire’s half-hug attack ended when Levi gently pushed her back into her seat, and instructed her to buckle back up before he shifted to drive and started towards the street. When the awkward air began to clear, Levi spoke to Claire, while keeping his eyes on the road as he merged onto the highway. “Didn’t you have something you wanted to ask Eren?”

Eren turned to look into the backseat with a smile on her face, while she waited for the child to speak.

“Can you play with me again today? Monday and Tuesday were fun, I like spending time with you!”

Eren laughed and nodded, “Of course, I had fun too sweetie. My first class was canceled so we can spend even more time together.”

Levi quirked his brow at the last statement, he signaled to exit off the highway and merged onto the service road, then turned down the main street that the campus called home,  “What class was that?”

“Intro to Psych,” she stated, thumbing through her phone to check the rest of her emails, “My professor sent out an email this morning saying that he wasn’t feeling well, so class is canceled for the rest of the week until further notice.”

“Oh. When is your next class?” He pulled into the faculty lot and parked as close as he could to the nearest building.

“I usually have lunch with my friends after that, and then I have my Stats class at 1.”

“I lecture through 1, so text me and let me know where you are and I’ll come to get Claire.”

“Okay, will do.” She smiled and unbuckled her belt, then stepped out of the coupe. She pulled the seat forward to let Claire out, and then offered her hand, which the girl gladly took, smiling and swinging the whole walk towards Levi’s office.

He unlocked the door and let them in, “Feel free to leave whatever you want in here,” he turned to Eren, “Claire has a quite a selection of activities to keep her busy if you need time to yourself, you’re welcome to sit at my desk and do your homework, there are drinks here,” he set his leather bag down and turned to point at the small black mini-fridge, “and if either of you get hungry,” he searched in his bag and pulled out his wallet, he grabbed two twenties and handed them both to Eren, “then feel free to get yourselves something.”

Eren frowned at the bills, “You know I have money right,” she held up her hand in protest.

“I’m well aware, but she is my responsibility until this weekend and you’re doing me a huge favor by watching her. The least I can do is pay for a meal.” He pushed past her hand and slipped the bills into the side of her bag.

“My class is starting soon, so I’m going to head that direction. Text me if you need anything and call me if it’s an emergency.” He walked over to Claire and pat her head, “Be good and listen to Eren alright?”

“Yes sir!” he smiled and turned to leave, he shut his office door and headed towards the front of the building to exit and make his way to the lecture hall that he’d be spending the next two hours of his life in.

* * *

 The girls stayed in his office for the first hour, Eren worked on an essay while Claire colored through one of the coloring books she’d brought with her. After another ten minutes of this, Eren felt her stomach growl and confirmed that Claire was hungry as well. They left their belongings in Levi’s office and Eren led them down to the lounge to grab a quick bite to eat.

When they’d nearly finished their meal, Eren felt her phone buzz and she checked her message.

 **[Received 11:56 AM] Armin:** _Hey, are you eating in the lounge again? Mikasa and I are headed that way, we got out of class late, we had a few questions about the next exam. I think Jean and the guys are coming too._

Eren sighed, ‘oh Armin,’ she sent her response and then gathered up her and Claire’s trash to dispose of it and prepare to head back to Levi’s office.

 **[Sent 11:57 AM]** _I already finished eating, but thanks though. I’m still busy so I’ll have to catch up with you guys later._

She took a hold of Claire’s hand and led her out of the back entrance, towards nearest entrance to the next building. They walked up two flights of stairs then headed down the hall and into his private space. She let the large wooden door shut and settled in his cushioned swivel chair behind his desk. Claire returned to drawing and playing cards while Eren started back on her essay. She stopped again when she heard the phone vibrate against his glass topped desk, then sent her quick response.

 **[Sent 12:47 PM]** _We’re still in your office._

About five minutes had passed before Levi was back in his office and relieving Eren from Claire-watching duty.

“Thank you again. Were you able to get any work done?”

“It’s no problem, she’s honestly an angel,” she closed her laptop and put it away in her bag, “Yes actually, I got a good majority of my essay done. Your office is like magic, I should work here more often.” She smiled and laughed jokingly.

“Why don’t you then,” he stated, setting his papers on his desk, “You’re more than welcome to study here, as long as I’m not having a meeting with any faculty members or a student. All you have to do is ask Eren.”

“Right, I…I think I’ll take you up on that offer then. Especially during exam week…I love studying with my friends at the dorm, but I’m not sure I’m really supposed to enjoy it as much as do…”

“You love studying… or spending time with your friends while they study and take frequent, unearned breaks to gossip about nothing?” Levi smirked and sat down in his, still warm, chair.

“L-like I said! I’ll be here around exam time.” She offered him a sheepish grin and circled around the table. She kneeled and hugged Claire, “See you later sweetie,” then stood and headed towards the door to leave.  She waved a quick goodbye to Levi as she opened the door and exited.

As soon as she closed the door behind her, Eren turned and walked, nose first, into Jean’s chin. She quickly retreated but was stopped by the wooden door that she rammed herself back against.

“Eren? What are you doing here?” he quickly asked, closing the space between them to keep their conversation as private as possible.

“W-what am I doing here? What about you? Why are you here Jean?” she nearly spat, holding her hand over her nose and covering her mouth to protect it from unwanted advances.

“I,” he started, with more pomp that necessary in his words, “am here to talk to _my_ professor.” He stared down at her, with an expectant expression, waiting for her to explain her presence outside Professor Ackerman's office, though he was certain he knew the answer, no matter how much he didn’t want to accept it.

“I-I,” Eren stuttered, backing into the door like a rabbit cornered by a hunter, “I was just-“

“What’s going on out here?” she was cut off by Levi’s deep melodic voice, full of authority and demanding respect.  She fell backwards as the door she’d been leaning her weight on was opened, but was steadied by Levi’s hand. He caught her by the middle of her back, and pushed her forward to help her stabilize herself. “Eren? I thought you had class, why are you still here?”

He walked fully out of his office and stepped to the side of Eren, “Is there a problem Mr. Kirstein?” he directed his sharp gaze to Jean, who had stepped back about a foot from where he’d previously been in Eren’s close personal space.

“N-no sir, I just needed to speak with you about something.”

“Very well then,“ Levi’s hold on Eren’s back loosened and he pushed her forward, “Hurry to class or you’ll be late.” Without another word to her, he directed his attention to the young man standing in front of him.

 Eren nodded and moved in between the two men, who were staring each other down, much like they had been at the start of the week, on the Sunday that she was hurt. The stinging pain she’d felt when she put weight or pressure on her foot no longer bothered her, the skin was scaly and unpleasant to look at, and she had an uncomfortable itch that couldn’t be scratched from time to time, but overall, it was healing nicely and she was told it wouldn’t scar. Monday morning, Levi, accompanied of course by his niece, had picked her up a couple hours early so he could take her to Dr. Zoe, one of Levi’s close personal friends and a fellow faculty member at Rose University. Eren remembered meeting her at Dr. Pixis’ holiday party, and was glad to see her again, though Hange, as Levi called her, seemed much more interested in learning why Levi had taken the responsibility of bussing her around.

She slipped through the lecture hall doors just as the campus clock tolled, signaling the start of the next hour and Eren’s, nearly tardy arrival to class.

* * *

 Levi invited Jean into his office; he offered him a seat across from his desk while he sat in his, now cold, swivel chair. He noticed Jean look over to the girl who was still coloring on the floor and his brow twitched in irritation.

“Please pay her no mind, she’s my sister’s child, I’m watching her while she is away on business.” Levi shot Claire a look that meant she was to sit quietly in the corner and not interrupt him. She immediately cleaned up her area and moved to sit in the corner, pulling out a slim book to occupy her time with.

“R-right.” Jean stuttered out, looking warily at the girl then back to up to Levi.

“So you have business with me Kirstein?”

“Yes sir, that’s right. I wanted to ask you a few things...” he trailed off and look to the side, feeling intimidated by Levi’s intense, steel gaze.

“About?”

“About…well, Eren sir.” Jean looked straight ahead, swallowing his nervousness and trying his best not to let his voice quiver.

Levi subtly raised his brow but his stoic, emotionally devoid face remained intact, he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. “Go on.”

“You two seem…very close and I just…I just wanted to know what exactly your relationship is.” Jean paused and narrowed his eyes into the best intimidating glare he could muster, “I want to make sure that Eren is safe and that she’s not being forced into anything.”

“What makes you think she is being forced into something?”

“She…she’s new here and…that night…at the holiday party, I saw the way she looked at you. And lately, it seems like she’s been hiding something, like she’s really careful, almost secretive. She’s young and naïve sir, and I just want to make sure that you’re not taking advantage of that.”

“You’re quite young yourself Kirstein. What, pray tell, gives you the authority to talk to me on her behalf and accuse me of taking advantage of her?”

“I-I didn’t mean it like that sir. I’m just a concerned friend is all, I know I don’t mean anything more to her than that…” Jean furrowed his brows and looked down in his lap as he clenched his fists tightly together.

“All you need to know about myself and Eren’s relationship is that on campus, she is a student and I am a professor. You have no business prying into my private life, nor hers if she doesn’t wish to share it with you. Understand? Now if you’re done digging for dirt, and have no further questions regarding my last lecture, I’d like for you to leave. I have several essays to read, and quite a bit of grading that I would like to complete before the day is over.”

“But she won’t talk to me about anything, I know she won’t.” He looked up and locked Levi with a glare, nearly shouting, “She hates me and I don’t understand why! That’s why I came to you for answers. What the hell was that at the Café? What the hell did she mean that you were her boyfriend? If you really plan on trying to convince me that you just have a student –instructor relationship, then you’re doing a really shitty job at it.”

Levi narrowed his eyes then shot a swift look to the corner to see Claire curling in on herself and trembling. “Jean, you don’t seem to understand what I’m trying to tell you. My private life is none of your concern, and I would highly recommend you watch your tone when you speak to me. This discussion won’t affect how I grade your work or treat you in class, but do not expect me to treat you with even an ounce of respect beyond the classroom. That is all. ”

“But Professor-“

“That. Is. All. You’re dismissed Jean.” Levi stood from chair and walked over to door, “Please see your way out.”

Jean stared at him, stupefied at the fact that he was being kicked out of Levi’s office. He slowly stood, and all but dragged his feet past the doorway and into the hall. Levi began to close the door then quickly whispered, “If you’re not satisfied with my answers, then feel free to come by again to discuss this matter when I don’t have company. Have a good day Jean.” He closed the door then fast walked to pull Claire out of the corner.

When he reached her she was already crying, her hands thrown over her ears and her body shaking slightly.

“Shh, Claire it’s alright. I’m sorry I raised my voice, it’s okay honey.” Levi pulled her into his lap and tried to calm her down. He gentle rocked her back and forth and lightly rubbed her back to soothe her temper.

She was never able to handle yelling or screaming. Caroline divorced her husband when Claire was five years old because ever since they’d said their “I do’s” their home had been a battle ground. Caroline thought that having Claire would solve the problems of their rocky marriage, but she was gravely mistaken. Her ex-husband would stay out late, and come home in foul, combative moods, ready to throw his words around, but thankfully, never his fists. Claire became very sensitive to raised voices and screaming, even now, four years after her father was removed from her life, the yelling or frustrated voice of a man still made her cringe and sometimes cry.

He spent the next half hour trying to calm his niece and prayed that Eren would return from class soon. She was able to calm her down on the ride home from the Café and he could not be more thankful for it. After another fifteen minutes, her crying had finally stopped, but only because she’d tuckered herself out and fallen asleep.

He turned when he heard a gentle knock against his door. “Come in,” he called over his shoulder, he looked back down to make sure he hadn’t woken his niece while he slowly lifted her sleeping form and raised himself from his office floor.

Eren popped into his office and shut the door behind her. She set her bag down and walked over to them.

“What happened?” she whispered, sitting down in the chair that Jean had previously occupied, she lifted her arms and allowed Levi to rest the sleeping girl against her.

“I upset her because I raised my voice at Jean. I know I said we should give this a full week, but I think it’s time we go and see the Dean, Eren.”

She cradled the girl against her body to get her in a more comfortable position and allowed Claire’s head to rest against her shoulder.

“I think so too, when were you thinking of going?”

“Actually, as soon as possible, but with Claire here, it complicates things a bit.”

“If you set up the appointment, I can ask my friends to watch her for a little while, I’m sure they won’t mind.” She ran her fingers through Claire’s silky, dark brown hair.

“Are you sure?” Levi sat at his desk and stared at the two of them, he rested his chin on his opened palm and let his eyes close for a moment.

“Yes, she’ll be fine. They are really responsible and fantastic people, I’m sure you’d love them.”

Levi smiled and opened his eyes to meet Eren’s, “I’m sure I would. Alright then, I’ll set up the appointment now.”

“Sounds good.” Eren nodded.

Levi pulled out his phone and dialed an all too familiar number. It rang a few times, then the line clicked open.

“Hello, Erwin…“

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> Again, apologies this was late and boring :/
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me!


	15. The Confrontation Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin, if I did, no one would be dead.
> 
> A/N
> 
> This is also a relatively short chapter, but I wanted to get this out before posting the valentines bit because I felt it made sense in this order. Thanks for your patience, hope you enjoy this bonus and the Valentine’s chapter~!

 

**Chapter Fourteen: The Confrontation - Part 2**

The meeting was set to later in the week, on Friday morning, before Eren’s first class. Armin agreed to watch Claire after Eren had promised him a full explanation following the meeting. Eren and Levi had dropped her off at his dorm a half hour before the scheduled meeting time and made their way Levi’s office.

“You look nervous Eren.”

“I’m not nervous, you’re just too calm,” she snapped back, playing with the hem of her blazer. She’d nearly torn apart her closet while trying to decide on what to wear, in the end, she settled for a simple but cute cream blouse and navy high-waisted skirt with black tights and a long, beige blazer to add a bit of sophistication to the look. She completed her ensemble with her most comfortable pair of heels and turquoise scarf wrapped loosely around her neck. Levi wore sensible black slacks, paired with a white button down and a gray blazer, finished off with a dark purple tie with a few black details stitched into it.

“If you don’t want to say anything, then you don’t have to. So long as you’re present and answer the few questions that are directed to you, I can do most of the talking myself.” Levi paused and leaned back in his cushioned office chair, resting the back of his head comfortably in his opened hands. “The universities’ relationship policy is annoying, but it exists for good reason. It’s to protect honest, hardworking students from being undermined and treated unfairly at the risk of romantic or sexual involvement with faculty. I never thought much about until recently, but it is a good thing.”

Eren simply nodded, while the new information processed in her mind. “I guess it is good then. I’d never really known such a thing existed.”

“You would have if you’d read the student handbook.” He smirked and stood from his chair. “Come on, it’s about time to go, Erwin is a stickler for punctuality.” He walked around his desk opened his door, holding it for Eren as she stood and exited the room. She paused, and waited for him to lock his office, then walked with him, side by side, towards the stairwell, then into the section of the building that held the office of the Dean of Students.

“Make sure you address him as Dr. Smith, and please, try to calm down. If you’re too nervous, your responses may come off as forced.”

“R-right, sorry, I’ll be fine.” Levi studied her for a moment then looked down at his watch, after another minute and a half had passed, he lightly rapped on wooden the door.

“Come in.” The response was muffled, but Eren was sure she’d recognized the voice.

Levi pushed the door open and allowed Eren to enter first. He gently let it shut behind him, and joined her in a seat directly in front of Dr. Erwin Smith’s desk.

Eren smiled, her nervousness evident by her rigid, mechanical movements. “G-good morning sir,” she stammered out.

“Good morning Eren,” he nodded his head in Levi’s direction, “Professor Ackerman,” then turned back to Eren. “What brings you to my office today?” His piercing blue eyes bore into Eren’s wide and anxious green ones.

“A-actually sir-" She stopped speaking when she felt Levi’s hand over her own, he gave it a light squeeze then pulled his hand away.

“I believe I already debriefed you on why we are here when I set up the meeting time, did I not?” Levi raised his brow and set his full attention on the giant of a man in front of them.

“Ah yes, if I do recall, this was about your wish to _start_ a relationship with this student?”

“Actually, it was to inform you that I have _already_ begun a relationship with this student. We would both like to let the school know that we are seeing each other. We are both adults who are interested in each other, and have mutually decided to pursue that interest.”

“Is that so?” Erwin quirked a thick blonde brow.

“Yes it is.”

“And what do you have to say about this Eren?” he directed his attention back to her.

“I-I agree with what Le-Professor Ackerman says sir. I’m interested in him and he seems interested in me, so we both decided to start dating.”

“I see.” Erwin stared at her a moment, then spoke again, “Are you aware of the universities’ policies and procedures concerning this kind of situation?”

Eren shook her head, “Not completely sir, I know that they exist, but I don’t know all of the details.”

“Alright, first of all, you’re to report the status of your relationship to the university whenever it may change as soon as possible, just as you’ve done now. Second, you may not take any classes that Professor Ackerman teaches or aids in teaching, nor can you go to him on campus for any form of tutoring or advising. Under no circumstance might you two ever show any forms of public affection while on the campus grounds, this includes but is not entirely limited to hugging, holding hands, and kissing, no petting of any kind nor sexual or otherwise inappropriate language may be shared between the two of you. As far as disclosing the existence of your relationship to other faculty members or students, that is left to your own discretion, though it is ill advised for you to flaunt it.”

Erwin turned to Levi, “I’m going to have to ask Eren a series of personal questions, if she wants you to stay, then you may, but to protect her privacy, I ask that you please leave. I will inform President Zackeley of this matter, and if any loose ends need to be tied, expect either him or myself to contact you directly.”

Levi nodded then turned to Eren, “Will you be alright by yourself, or should I stay?”

“I’ll be fine on my own, thank you.” She offered him a small, reassuring smile then turned to face Erwin. Levi nodded once more then stood to exit the office.

“What questions did you have for me sir?”

“As I said, these are going to be personal, so if you feel uncomfortable with answering them, then you may decline to do so.” He paused and waited for Eren to agree before continuing on, “First, I’d like you to tell me how you two met.”

“Well, the first time I ran into him was last year, when I was visiting my friends. We were out shopping and then we stopped to grab a bite to eat, I got up, tripped, and he literally caught me. The first time I actually talked to him though, was at the same holiday party where I met you and Dr. Zoe for the first time.”

“Okay, now, can you tell me how you two came to be in this relationship?”

“Well, I don’t know if this is what you’re asking for, but we both ran into each other quite often. Then we just started talking, had dinner a few times, and it just went from there.”

“Thank you, that was fine Eren. Now tell me, has Professor Ackerman ever offered you anything extra, say free tutoring, money for tuition, or grade manipulation?”

“No? Why in the world would he do any of that, he’s not even my professor. We hardly even talk about school when we’re together.” She narrowed her eyes at Erwin, feeling offended by the question.

“I see. So he’s never bribed you in anyway, or used his position to coerce you into seeing him?” Erwin stared at her with a serious and stern expression.

“N-no sir, he hasn’t, and he isn’t the type of person who would do something so low anyway.”

“Very well then. What is it that you hope to get out this relationship? He’s obviously settled in his career and lives a stable, comfortable life, but you two have a large age gap. And lastly, does the age difference bother you?”

“With all due respect sir, those questions are a bit too personal. I honestly can’t tell you what I hope to gain from our relationship, I’ve never been in one before, so I don’t have any set goals or anything like that. I’ve already discussed our age difference with Levi and we’re both fine with it, so I don’t see why you need comment or inquire about it.”

“I apologize if I’ve made you uncomfortable Eren, there are just certain things we have to know since this a special situation. Thank you for your cooperation. If you have no questions for me, then you’re free to go.” Erwin leaned back in his seat and folded his hands on his desk.

“No sir, thank you for your help.” Eren nodded respectfully, and then stood to exit the room.

“If you ever need anything, then please, don’t hesitate to call on me. I’d be glad to help in any way possible.”

Eren turned and smiled, “Of course, thank you,” then exited the room.

She was greeted by Levi, sitting in one of the waiting room chairs, staring intently at his phone.

“All finished.” She sighed, walking towards him.

He stood and joined her; they made their way to the door and back out to Armin’s dorm to retrieve Claire. “See, that wasn’t terrible, was it?”

“It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t exactly good either. Erwin- I mean, Dr. Smith seemed a lot different here than when I first met him. He’s so much more intimidating behind that desk.”

Levi chuckled, “Oh? You’ve met before?”

“Yes, it was the night of the holiday party. He introduced himself to me and he seemed genuinely kind.”

“He’s fine to be around outside of school, but that man is a stickler for policy. He’s the type that’s willing to go through almost any means necessary so long as the ends meet.”

“Hmm,” Eren hummed, feeling too tired to speak a reply.

“You alright?”

“Fine, just tired, it’s been a long week.”

“Tell me about it.” They both looked at each other and laughed. Eren pulled out her phone and called Armin. Soon after the call, the young blonde man brought a happy and energetic Claire down, then he and Eren left to go to class, while Levi got her settled in his office while he lectured.

Eren’s teacher retracted his Friday class cancelation, so Claire was left to her own devices for an hour while her temporary guardians were in class. The day ended relatively quickly, and Levi took Eren home, then returned to his own, ready and waiting for Caroline’s return so she could take her daughter back.

The next week, Eren was back in tip top shape and working as much as she could to make up for the lost time. Soon the last week of January and the first week of had February passed and Valentines’ Day was just around the corner.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> Posting this now because I have some things to do ^ w ^
> 
> Valentine’s Chapter will be posted soon!!! (like today, as soon as I finish editing it and have access to some reliable internet, the wifi at these dorms is shitty)


	16. Valentine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin, if I did, no one would be dead.

 

**Chapter Fifteen: Valentine**

Levi sat on the chaise, kicking his feet up and letting out a relieved sigh when his back hit the soft cushioned material. Eren giggled when she watched him lay back, then walked behind him and bent over the seat.

“Rough day at work?” she laughed out. Levi just nodded weakly and released another deep sigh.

Eren reached down and lightly placed her hands on his shoulders. When Levi made no protest the touch, she began to gently knead them, using her thumbs to rub small but firm circles on the back of his neck to help ease his tension.

She smiled when she heard him sigh again, only this time, it sounded much less irritated and much more pleased. “Feel good?”

“Mhm.” He leaned forward a bit from the chaise and Eren’s nimble fingers wandered further down his back. “Feels great.”

Eren found it more difficult to reach his lower back, as the back of the chaise prevented her hands from venturing further. She let out her own noise of annoyance and lifted her hands from Levi’s tension filled back.

“Why don’t you lie down? It will be easier to give you a proper massage.”

Levi simply grunted and stood, then laid face down against the chaise. Eren pulled a throw pillow from the loveseat and handed it to him. “Thanks,” he said, accepting it and resting his head atop it. He wrapped his arms around the pillow and turned his head to side, ready for Eren to continue her ministrations.

‘Wow, he must be really exhausted. He’s barely talking at all.’ Eren thought to herself, feeling sad for how run down Levi was. They’d both had a busy week, but Levi had been in meeting after meeting, and two of his classes had exams the past week, one of the exams was during the regular class hour, but the other, for the more advanced students, was at night time. He’d stayed up late most nights during the week to finish reading through and grading the essays from the entry level course he taught, so he could free up Friday night and the weekend to spend with Eren.

The tension and stress from pushing himself definitely showed, he wasn’t as energetic or as responsive as he usually was. Eren felt tempted to just call off their date night, and let him take a hot bath and go to bed early, he really looked like he needed it. She rubbed circles and swirls down his back, and then stopped right above his hips to concentrate on the tensed muscles of his lower back. She gently kneaded the tense flesh, then pushed a little harder to try and loosen the knots, alternating between firm pressing and gentle swirling motions until she felt him begin to relax.

She began to work back up his back, then to his neck, and back to his shoulders, applying both firm and gentle pressure all the way up. It was when she got back to his shoulders, that Eren noticed Levi had been watching her with a curious glint apparent in his gaze.

“Something wrong?” she asked, stopping her hands and letting them rest on his shoulders.

“Actually,” he started to push himself up from the pillow, “I was just thinking…”

“Oh?” Eren asked, pulling her hands away as he pushed himself up completely and turned to sit upright. “What about?” She sat down next him on the chaise, letting her legs hang off the side.

“Us…” he stated, staring into her eyes, “you…” he reached out and lightly ran his fingers along her jaw line.

“What about us… and me?” she asked, feeling her cheeks heating up at the contact.

He dropped his gaze from her eyes to her lips, “About kissing you,” his thumb gently swept over her bottom lip, “about how we’ve never shared an adult’s kiss.”

“An adult’s kiss?” Eren leaned forward into his hand; she placed hers over his and pressed her lips to his palm.

“Eren, can I kiss you?” she tightened her grip around his hand at the question, then slowly released it as she nodded, staring into his eyes with honest curiosity.

He smiled, and then leaned forward, letting their lips meet gently, innocently. He watched as she closed her eyes and then pulled back just enough to separate their lips. He pulled her forward, and positioned her in his lap. She sat comfortably on his thighs with her knees on either side of his hips, while her hands rested on his chest.

He laughed lightly at her confused and slightly widened eyes, then pulled her down to meet his lips again. He hummed softly into the kiss, then pressed forward with a little more force. His hand remained on the back of her neck, keeping her in place as he started to lean forward more and intensify the kiss.

Levi wrapped his free arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She pushed lightly on his chest and he loosened his grip and allowed her pull back from the kiss.

Levi watched as her mouth opened while she panted lightly, making her already flushed face all the more enticing. He smirked, then leaned forward to connect their lips again. This time, Eren pressed herself closer to deepen the kiss, he smiled against her lips and broke away from her again, “Shall I teach you how lovers kiss Eren?”

She leaned back and rested her weight on his lap, “Is it that much different from what we’ve been doing?”

“A little,” he smirked, “but I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.” He pressed a light kiss to her nose and then pulled her back towards him. “It may feel weird at first, but I want you to just try and get used to the feeling, so try not to fight back alright?”

Eren quirked a brow, then nodded in agreement. Levi smirked and pulled her to meet his lips again, he began to move his lips against hers, gently at first, then with more pressure. He slipped his tongue out and licked and lightly sucked on her bottom lip before separating their lips again.

“Good, now open your mouth.”

She stared at him for a moment, then parted her lips in a small ‘o.’ He leaned forward covered her opened mouth with his own. He felt her tense slightly, and he wrapped his arm more firmly around her waist, he caressed the side of her face until he felt her relax against him again. Taking this a sign to continue, his slipped his tongue out and passed her parted lips, gently prodding and licking along the way.

He opened his eyes slightly to see Eren’s wide green eyes staring back at him in surprise. He narrowed his eyes and smirked against her opened mouth. He continued to slide his slick muscle in and out, then playfully toyed with her own, trying to get her used to the feeling of his tongue invading her mouth.

When he felt she’d gotten used to the feeling, he pulled back again, licking her lips as his tongue left her mouth and their lips separated.

“How was that?” he asked, resting his hands on her hips and gently kneading the soft flesh.

All he got in response was stupefied Eren, staring back at him with her mouth slightly agape, her lips still moist and slightly swollen from the kiss. “W-weird… but…”

“But?” he quirked a thin black brow.

“M-more.” She leaned forward and firmly pressed their lips together, wrapping her arms around his neck to press their bodies even closer than before.

Levi smiled into the kiss and slipped his tongue back into her mouth. After a few seconds of him exploring her again, he felt her tongue curiously bump his. It was a slow, wet, and slippery dance that soon escalated to a vigorous battle.

Eren tried her best to keep up with Levi’s pace, but soon found her own inexperience to be glaringly obvious when she forgot how to breathe, and had to break away from his mouth again. “Hah… haah…huh,” her chest rose and fell with her quick, shallow breaths.

“You have to remember to breathe through your nose Eren,” he chuckled and pressed another quick kiss to the tip of her nose, “or we can’t continue.”

Levi smirked and took the opportunity press quick, light kisses against her jaw line while she caught her breath. He pushed her hair back, and let it fall behind her shoulder, and then he latched onto her neck, right below her jaw and lightly nipped and sucked on the sensitive flesh.

He moved further down her neckline, then pulled the collar of her sweater to expose more of her clavicle. He pressed his lips just under her collarbone and licked the spot he intended to mark. He lightly bit the spot, then licked and sucked on it until he heard Eren mewl. He stopped sucking on the tender spot and looked up to see Eren’s eyes half lidded, and lips parted and moist.

“Eren.” He whispered, then pulled her back down to meet his lips, watching as her eyes slipped shut again as he slid his tongue back in to invite hers to play. He continued his slow, and playful assault between her lips until he felt his own growing arousal. He pulled back and held her head between his hands.

“We had better start getting ready for our date, don’t you think?”

She tried to press her lips against his again, he allowed a light peck, but then pulled her back to a sitting position on his lap. “Unless you want to just stay in tonight?” He smirked and leaned back in to give her one more, deep kiss.

“I like that idea better.” She smirked and leaned against him, resting against his chest and letting his hand run through her hair.

~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~~

They'd settled on staying in and watching a romantic comedy while waiting for their dessert to finish setting. Levi prepared dinner while Eren was left in charge of dessert.

Levi had given her free reign over any of the ingredients in his pantry, which she found to be well stocked, to prepare their dessert for their impromptu night in. She gathered the ingredients for simple, but delicious chocolate covered strawberries and espresso truffles and got to work.

She started with the truffles first, since they had to set and harden in the fridge before they could be rolled and coated in their toppings. She poured the cream and espresso powder into a small saucepan to let it heat and combine.

Levi watched while she stirred the darkening cream mixture. After a few moments, Eren removed the hot liquid and slowly stirred in the broken and chopped bits of chocolate. 'I can get used to this,' he thought as he walked over and peeked around her to watch her work. "Smells good, what are you making?" He continued to watch as the chocolate melted in the cream.

Eren paused her stirring and reached forward to grab the Kahlua, she measured a small amount of the liqueur and poured it into the warm mixture. "Truffles," was her simple answer. Next she added a few generous drops of vanilla extract and gave the pleasantly fragranced mixture a few more good stirs. "Could you bring me a bowl?" she asked, turning her head and smiling when saw how close Levi was, "and plastic wrap too if you have any."

Levi smirked and leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to Eren's lips before fulfilling her request. "Sure thing," he walked around her, and searched through two different cabinets, before returning with her requested items.

"Thank you," a light blush was still present on her cheeks from the unexpected kiss as she poured the mixture into the bowl and then covered it with the plastic wrap. She placed the bowl in the fridge, then returned to the counter space she'd been working at to gather the dirtied dishes and drop them in the sink.

Eren rinsed the strawberries while Levi got to work on preparing their dinner. He'd bought fresh tortellini from an organic market earlier in the week, but found himself either too busy or too tired to cook it before now. He set a pot of water on the stovetop and waited for it to heat up before tossing the premade pasta bites into the boiling bath.

The two worked on their own separate ends of the kitchen to prepare their additions to their romantic night in. Eren finished coating the strawberries in chocolate, she left some plain, and topped a few with crushed almonds and pecans, then set them on rack to drip dry and harden. Levi pulled two petite steaks from his fridge and silently thanked his inner chef for picking up the pricey cuts of meat. He placed a pan on the burner that Eren had previously used and turned the heat to high. He dropped a sliver of butter into the pan and rotated it to coat the bottom.

Once he deemed the pan hot enough, he dropped the two filets in and let the meat sear. While the meat cooked, he reached around Eren, who was washing the last of her dishes and grabbed the freshly washed and dried sauce pan that she'd used for the truffle base. He prepared the white cheese sauce for the pasta and left it to reduce down to a thick and smooth reduction. Turning his attention back to the meat, he flipped it and allowed the other side to cook before placing it on a ceramic plate to rest. Using the same pan, he added the sliced mushrooms and let them brown, and then poured a small amount of wine to deglaze the pan, he turned the heat down to medium. After a minute, he added broth and a few spices, and brought the sauce to a gentle boil.

"Eren," she turned her head away from the dishes she was putting away to look at Levi, "Can you hand me the black tongs from the third drawer," she followed his pointing finger to the drawer and rinsed her hands. She quickly dried them on the apron Levi insisted she wear, and then hurried to find the tongs.

"These right?" she held up the item as she looked over her shoulder.

"Yes, thanks," he took the tongs and began tossing the pasta in the steaming pot in front of him. He turned the dial on the stove to lower the heat and gave the pasta one more quick toss before returning his attention to the cheese sauce for the nearly al-dente tortellini.

Eren returned to the sink to finish cleaning the dishes she'd used to prepare their dessert. She finally finished drying the last of the dishes and turned to Levi; she walked up behind him and looked over his shoulder, "Can I help with anything?"

 Levi took a step to the side and offered her wooden spoon he'd been stirring the tortellini sauce with, "Don't stop stirring until I tell you," then turned his attention back to the pasta. He removed the pot and drained the water out, saving the tortellini in a colander; he transferred the pasta into a clean, ceramic bowl then set it on the counter next to Eren. "Alright, go ahead and sauce it," he set out two plates, and began to plate the filet mignon and drizzle the mushroom wine sauce over the warm meat.

After Eren finished tossing the pasta to coat it with the sauce, she went to the fridge and pulled out a few ingredients to make a quick salad. "I feel like I've done this before," she laughed out, smiling widely as she tossed the greens together. Levi chuckled and set both plates on the dining table while Eren served the salad in two bowls. She set them next to their plates, then sat, and waited for Levi to return with their silverware and drinks.

He set two wine glasses down on the table along with the bottle he'd used to flavor the mushroom sauce and quirked his brow at Eren's elated expression. He went back to the kitchen, and shortly returned with a green bottle of sparkling water. He smirked when he saw her pout while he opened the bottle and poured it into her glass. "What, you didn't think I'd let you drink did you? You're still underage Eren." He smiled as he served himself from the wine bottle, feeling a strange mix of satisfaction and amusement when she stuck out her tongue in defiance and mock annoyance.

"You could at least let me have a taste," she pouted, turning her attention to the meal in front of them. "This looks amazing."

"Shall we?" Levi chuckled when Eren nodded her head and picked up her utensils.

They ate in a comfortable silence, save for Eren's whining noises when Levi refilled his glass with wine and hers with water. "Do you really want it that badly?"

Eren puffed her cheeks and shook her head as she mumbled against her glass, “No, I can wait,” then took a drink of the sparkling water Levi bought and saved for whenever she came over.

“Wait?” Levi raised his brow, ‘Hmm, I don’t actually know her birthday do I?’ he thought as he took another sip from his glass.

“Yes, I can wait. I’ll be 21 soon anyway.” She smiled against the glass and set it down to finish off the last of her meal.

“And how soon is that?”

“Soon enough.” She countered, raising her brow in a mock challenge. Levi let a small laugh escape, ‘Is this another way of pouting?’

“When is your birthday?”

“Next month.” She answered without a hitch.

“What day?”

“The day I was birthed.”

 “Alright smartass,” he shot back, “If you’re not going to tell me, then I’ll just ask one of your friends, what was the blonde’s name again? Armon…Armint?” He smirked at the annoyance present on her face. “Or better yet, how about I ask Kirstein, he seems rather fond of you. Even if he doesn’t know, it’d be fun to see how he tries to figure it out, don’t you think?”

Eren let out a huff at the mention of Jean, “Oh please, as if he’d know anything about me.” She rolled her eyes dramatically and pushed her plate forward to indicate she was done with the meal and the conversation. “And his name is Armin, you know that.”

She stood and carried her plate to the sink. Levi sighed, and soon joined her. ‘Maybe I took the joke a bit too far?’ he thought to himself as he rinsed the dishes and left them to soak in the warm soapy water.

“Want to watch a movie?” he asked, hoping to pull her mind away from his teasing. After a few seconds of silence, he heard a soft sigh, soon followed by a “sure” from the living room.

* * *

 Eren settled on the sofa as Levi thumbed through his assortment of DVDs, “Anything in particular you want to watch?” He pulled two titles and continued to search for the third; he’d planned on at least narrowing down the selection a bit, but the final decision would be left up to Eren.

“Not really,” she paused and picked up one of the throw pillows, hugging it against her chest as she smiled, her earlier annoyance all but forgotten as she spoke, “as long as I’m with you, I’m sure anything will be enjoyable,” just as the words left her mouth, she half-hid her face in the pillow, feeling a bit embarrassed by how forward and terribly honest the statement was. She didn’t regret her words, but couldn’t help the shy and nervous feeling she still had whenever she spent time alone with Levi.

He smirked, and stood from his crouched, searching position. He set his selection out on the coffee table in front of a, now fully hidden, Eren, she held the pillow over her face to cover the all too familiar blush that seems to have taken permanent residence on Eren’s face ever since she met Levi.

Eren felt Levi’s weight on the sofa as he sat, yet still refused to lower the pillow, feeling far too comfortable hidden behind the soft, velvety fabric. Her squeak was muffled by the pillow, as Levi wrapped an arm around her slowly relaxing shoulders, and pulled her towards him. He held her comfortably with his arm and leaned back into the sofa, while his other reached for the remote and started the first movie. He figured since Eren didn’t have a preference that he’d just pick the one he thought that she would enjoy the most, the movie was called “Valentine’s Day,” so it seemed a safe and overly appropriate choice.

After clicking through the previews, he finally reached the start menu and clicked play, then set the remote down and turned to look down at Eren. She’d squirmed and managed to put herself in a more comfortable position while Levi had started the movie. She lay with her head resting right below the junction of his shoulder and neck, with her legs curled up comfortably. He smiled down at her and brushed the hair out of her face, leaving his hand to rest on her head, while occasionally strumming through the chocolate tresses.

Right about the point in the film where the two, ridiculously and obnoxiously ‘in-love’ high school sweethearts came on screen, Levi felt the urge to look down at Eren’s face again. His gray eyes were met with a pair of curiously wide green ones, and a content expression which he felt that he would do anything to see more of and keep. He gently ruffled her hair, then leaned down to place a light kiss on her exposed forehead before returning his attention to the clothed nearly-sex scene being broadcasted to the unfortunate viewers of whatever station that was currently videotaping these ‘minors-in-love.’ He chuckled to himself and silently wished that he’d missed that part of the film.

Another twenty minutes into the movie and Levi felt his shoulder going stiff; he shifted slightly to relieve a bit of the discomfort without disturbing Eren’s position, though thankfully, she took the hint and repositioned herself. Pillow still in hand, she curled her legs in more, and laid her head down on Levi’s lap, after several seconds of adjustment, she settled and the two continued to watch the movie. Levi’s hand eventually returned to her head, gently pressing his fingers against her scalp and running them through her hair.

After another half hour of the attention, Eren felt her body relax so completely that she eventually slipped into a light sleep. Levi noticed almost immediately that her breathing pattern had changed, her chest rose more evenly, and she was breathing a bit slower than before.

 “Eren?” he softly cooed, testing to make sure he was correct, when she didn’t answer, he smiled and stopped the movie from playing, then powered off the television. He let his hand rest on her shoulders, and then leaned back further into the velvety cushions to take a well deserved nap himself.

The two lay there, both feeling comfortable and safe as they napped away the next hour of their mildly romantic and wonderfully relaxing evening.

Levi awoke when he felt a cool wetness spreading on his shirt, he opened his eyes and quickly blinked the sleep away to try and reorient himself. He had a dull ache growing in his shoulders and realized that he’d unconsciously shifted in his sleep to accommodate Eren, who now lay between his legs, arms latched around his waist and face buried in his shirt. After a few moments of admiring her tranquil, yet endearingly disheveled form, he stroked his fingers through the messy mop of brown locks that obscured most of Eren’s sleeping face from view, and brushed them into a more orderly position.

He would’ve laughed had it not been for the small grimace that momentarily usurped his features when he realized the source of the wetness and discomfort.

Eren’s mouth was slightly agape, and pressed into Levi’s shirt, with a thin line of drool spilling from it. After taking a second to get over the wetness, which really shouldn’t bother him considering he’d all too willingly explored her mouth earlier in the evening, he took the opportunity to study her sleeping features fully. The way her cheek was squished up reminded him of their age difference, Eren seemed fine with it, but he still couldn’t help but brood over the fifteen year gap, especially when Eren looked so much younger while asleep. Her supple skin, thick, dark lashes, and plump pink lips served only to remind him of her youth, the small blemishes that peppered her newly adult skin didn’t exactly help ease his internal conflictions either.

He continued to play with her hair, hoping that the gentle stimulation would rouse her, however it only served to make her more comfortable, which Levi noticed as her grip tightened around his waist. He let a small chuckle escape and settled for lightly drawing shapes on her back with his fingers. After several more minutes of this, he recalled that he’d left a book that he’d started earlier in the week on his silver side table. Stilling his hand between her shoulder blades, he twisted and reached out for the book, which had been left just as he remembered.

He settled back down and continued to stroke along her back while he opened the book to where he last left off, ‘looks like I’m going to be here for a little while, might as well do something,’ he thought as he began his read.

He occasionally glanced back to see if Eren showed any signs of waking, after almost an hour of this, he felt her stir. He placed the marker back in his book and set it on top of the cushions of his sofa.

Eren snuggled into the warmth below her, but opened her eyes when she felt the wetness from her own drool on her cheek. She absentmindedly rubbed her eyes and wiped the side of her mouth before pulling away from the warmth and looked down, then up and around, trying to let her position settle in. After a few more moments of letting her eyes wander, Eren’s confused and sleep glazed emerald eyes met Levi’s amused gray ones, she felt her cheeks heating up at the smug look on his face, then realized how tightly she was wrapped around him. She eased her arms from around his waist, and then moved to push herself up.

Levi reached out and brought Eren back down before she could escape; he easily guided her back between his legs and pulled her to settle further up his chest. He firmly grasped her waistline with one hand and stroked along her jaw line with his free hand. He guided her lips to his own, smirking into the kiss as he watched her eyes flutter shut. It was an innocent kiss that lasted only a few seconds, one meant to show care and adoration rather than lust and desire. Levi pulled back, a small smile still adorning his lips. Eren offered him a gentle smile of her own and laid her head just below his jaw.

They stayed like this, silently basking in each other’s presence for several minutes while Levi returned to stroking Eren’s hair, it was becoming one of his new favorite pastimes for quiet moments.

Eren hummed against his touch, and pressed a few light kisses to his neck before questioning, “What time is it?”

“Time for dessert.” Levi chuckled, feeling the tickle of her lashes against his neck as she blinked.

Eren sat up and looked down at Levi, Hhmm, that sounds about right,” she leaned down and pressed one more, light kiss against his lips then pushed herself up completely and made her way to the kitchen. After a few moments of shuffling about, she called to the living space, “Do you want to help me with the truffles?”

Levi sat up from the small sofa and let his tired body stretch, hearing the satisfying sound of popping; he stood and joined Eren in the kitchen area, “I’d love to.”

He popped back into his room to change into a fresh shirt, then returned to the kitchen to wash his hands. Once he’d thoroughly washed and dried them, he turned to watch Eren as she scooped the solidified mixture she’d made earlier and shape it into small balls.

“What should I do?”

“Do you want to make them or decorate them?” she questioned without looking up.

He noticed how well she seemed to be forming and opted for the later. “Decorating sounds fun.”

Eren paused and rinsed her hands, then returned to the counter space and revealed the pre-chopped and separated nuts and powders. She did a quick demonstration of coating a few of the balls in the cocoa powder, then in almonds, or pecans. After leaving Levi at his station, she returned to her own to continue forming the decadent chocolate orbs.

Once they’d finished, Eren placed them back in the fridge and both she and Levi set to clean up the rest of the kitchen. Once Levi deemed it satisfactory, he sat at the table and poured them each a glass of champagne, hoping that this would make up for his earlier teasing and refusal to let Eren have any red wine. Eren prepared the dessert plate, making alternating rows of chocolate covered strawberries and truffles until she was happy with the look of it.

She set her work on the table and stared, surprised by the beige, bubbly liquid in the fluted glasses. She sat and quirked a brow at Levi when he raised his glass and gestured for her to do the same, “Happy Valentine’s Day Eren,”  he lightly tapped his glass against her own in a tender toast, before taking a sip and encouraging her to do the same.

Her eyes widened when she tasted the sweet, bubbly liquid, “Wow, this is really delicious,” she took another sip and hummed against the glass, a content smile present on her face.

Levi chuckled, “Don’t drink it all at once; you’re not getting another glass, so savor what you have.” He set his own glass down and reached out to try one of the strawberries. ‘I’m glad I picked up a sweeter variety, it goes well with this fruit,’ he thought appreciatively to himself. He smirked as he popped a truffle into his mouth, relishing in the small pout on Eren’s face, and continued to enjoy their night time dessert platter.

 “These are great,” he said, trying to lessen the slowly creeping guilt he felt for teasing her so much. With a sigh, he uncapped the bubbly drink and refilled his and Eren’s glass, hoping that she’d grace him with her beautiful smile once more. Just as he’d hoped, a surprised and bright smile filled her face as he filled up her glass, “That is your final glass, I’m serious this time Eren, so don’t drink it too quickly.”

She nodded her head and took another sip of the sweet liquid, a light blush already appearing on her cheeks. ‘I guess she would be a lightweight, but it still shouldn’t be affecting her this quickly…’ Levi sighed and pulled the now, half-empty glass away from Eren. To distract her, he reached across the table and popped one of their truffles between her parted lips, whatever protest she’d spread them for, died as soon as the chocolate hit her tongue. She happily accepted the chocolate, and leaned forward for another as soon as she finished off the first offering.

Levi laughed at her display and pressed a strawberry to her lips next. Two bites in, and the succulence of the fruit  showed itself, some of the strawberries’ juice spilled past Eren’s lips and dribbled down to her chin. Before Eren could wipe it herself, Levi reached over and swept the juice up himself, then brought it to his lips to lick his thumb clean. Eren finished off the strawberry and reached down to grab a dessert and feed it to Levi.

She placed the strawberry to his lips and giggled as he took it all in one bite. He slid her drink back over, but she paid it little attention for the rest of their dessert session. Levi had nearly emptied the bottle by the time she reached the bottom of her flute.

“It’s late, what do you say we clean this up and get ready for bed?” Levi posed, picking up what remained of their dessert and walking it over to the kitchen.

With a faint pink tinge still apparent on her cheeks, Eren softly spoke, “That sounds good to me,” after a few moments, she joined Levi in the kitchen then spoke again after thinking about the offer, “I don’t have any other clothes to wear though,” she pulled at the gray sweater she’d worn all day for emphasis. To help set the mood for the day, she’d purposely worn the slightly oversized sweater since it was one of the only articles of clothing she owned that had heart on it. A large, white polka-dotted heart took up space on the front it. She wore burgundy tights and a comfortable skirt to complete the cute and simple look.

Levi chuckled, “Oh? I wasn’t aware we needed any clothes tonight, but maybe that was my mistake.” He glanced over to see her mouth fall open and cheeks turn a deeper shade of pink at his teasing implication.

“H-huh? W-well…I guess…um but…” He bit his lip to hold back his laughter at her nervous fidgeting.

“I’m just kidding Eren, it’s alright.” He paused and dried his hands, then reached up to place his head on her head, “I don’t think either of us are quite ready for that, not now at least.” He pulled her head down slightly and pressed a kiss to her forehead, “You can borrow something of mine for the night while your clothes are being washed, I’ll go start a bath in the guest room for you while you finish up here.”

“R-right, that sounds good.” She nodded and focused on finishing up in the kitchen while Levi walked towards the guest bedroom to start Eren’s bath.

He rinsed the tub out, then plugged it and let the hot bathwater fill the small basin. While the tub filled, he returned to his bedroom to pull out his favorite bath salts and searched through his drawers for a night shirt and a pair of clean boxer shorts. Once he found the items, he returned to the guest bathroom and added the salts to the water, then placed his neatly folded clothes on the counter space in plain view for Eren to see when she walked in. Satisfied with the water’s temperature, and feel, he left the bathroom and returned his own room to draw his own bath for the night.

As he passed the kitchen area, he noticed Eren on her phone, he called out to her, “Your bath is ready, I left a change of clothes next the sink and there are clean towels already in there. Come to me if you need anything. Goodnight Eren.”

“O-okay, thank you. G-goodnight Levi.” She said back, and then returned her attention back to the bright screened device in her hands. He wanted to ask her if something was wrong, but decided against it, ‘she’d let me know if it was something she felt like sharing,’ he thought, then continued to his own room for a much desired dip in the hot, and relaxing water of his oversized tub.

* * *

 After Levi left the room, Eren made her way to the bathroom, grimace plain on her face as she re-read the message.

 **[Received 11:46 PM] Mikasa:** _I know you’re not home Eren. Armin and I stopped by earlier to check on you, but you weren’t there. I know it’s Valentines and it’s your life, but please be responsible tonight. We’re worried about you, don’t let that little man take advantage of you, and call me if you need help._

Eren couldn’t help the indignant huff that escaped her lips as she set her phone, none-too-gently, on the bathroom counter and began to undress. ‘my love life is none of your business, what the hell was that text supposed to mean Mikasa’ she thought to herself, as she quickly stripped down and threw her clothes into a messy pile in the corner of Levi’s pristine guest bathroom. With one more sigh, she dipped her foot into the water to test it out, and then stepped fully into the tub before lowering her body into the comfortably hot bath. She felt the tension and annoyance directed towards her friends melt away into the water as she slipped further down, letting the water cover her shoulders.

After soaking for a good thirty, nearly forty minutes, Eren reached forward and grabbed the conveniently placed hand towel and lowered it into the warm water. She doused the wet towel with a generous amount of sweet smelling body wash and got to work on cleaning away the grime that accumulated from her day, starting first with her arms then working all the way down to her feet. Feeling satisfied with her scrub down, she relaxed back into the water for a few moments longer, then reached forward to unplug the tub and let the bathwater drain out.

As the water drained, she stood and left the tub, in search of a towel. She was pleased to find the towels were oversized and plush, and dried herself before dropping the towel and kicking it half-hazardly to join the pile of dirty laundry. After covering her softened skin with lotion, she quickly slipped on the spare clothing Levi had set out for her.

She laughed at her own image, the silken night shirt hung just past her hips; though she was pleasantly surprised to find that boxer shorts fit her like a pair of snug athletic shorts. She finished buttoning up the top, then tried to encourage her hair to dry faster by running a hand towel through it to soak up the excess water.

After searching for a few minutes, she was able to find toothpaste, but no extra brushes. Sighing, she left the guest wing and walked over to Levi’s side of the loft. She paused in front of the bathroom door when she noticed the light was off, then turned to knock on, what she assumed was, his bedroom door. “Levi, sorry to bother you,” she called softly from behind the door. After a few moments of quiet shuffling, she heard footsteps and then the door was opened.

Levi stood before her in a pale blue button down nightshirt and matching pants that had a somewhat disturbing print of what appeared to be a naked human covering the fabric. “Something wrong Eren?” he questioned as he adjusted his thin black frames while trying to ignore how very appealing she was, dressed in only his clothing.

“A-ah no, it’s just I couldn’t find a toothbrush and I don’t exactly have one on me at the moment so-”

“Sorry, I should have pulled one out for you.” He stepped out from behind the door and walked down to the guest bathroom, with Eren following closely behind him. After a moment, he emerged from the room she’d previously been in with a brand new brush and the pile of dirty laundry she’d left on the floor. “Here, anything else?” He handed her the brush and she shook her head, he then walked past her, towards his laundry area.

Eren brushed her teeth and set the brush aside before giving herself one more once over and leaving the bathroom.

“Is there anything special that you do for any of this?” Levi called over the sound of the water filling the washing machine.

Eren scrunched her brows for a moment at the question then realized what he was asking. She rushed over to the laundry area and all but ripped the clothing from Levi’s grasp. “I-I can do it, i-it’s fine, thank you though.” She said, breath sounding labored.

Levi raised his brow, but said “Alright,” nonetheless. He raised his hands and let her get to work on her laundry, though he stood close by to make sure she didn’t botch any of the settings on his machine, and to be of assistance if she needed it. It wasn’t that complicated of a machine to use, but it was one of the newest models of the brand, so it had a fair amount of technology put into it. When she’d finished preparing the load, she turned and looked at Levi hesitantly then just as quickly turned away again.

“Eren?” he questioned, walking a bit closer to her, he noticed how red her cheeks were, ‘Surely she’s not sick?’ he thought, “Is everything alright?” he reached out his hand and lightly pressed the back of it to her forehead. “You’re not getting sick on me are you?” he smiled a little and retracted his hand when she shook her head.

“No, that’s not it, I’m fine!” she looked down and played with the hem of the borrowed shirt.

“What’s wrong?” He forced his gaze away from her supple, bare legs, and directed it back towards her red face.

“I- I just, I wanted to thank you for today…and for tonight. It was fun, and I-” she paused and took a deep breath, “thank you for not…well, expecting anything from me,” as if possessed by a courageous spirit, she continued on, “I’m new to this whole relationship thing and…I’m really happy that we’re taking things slow…and that you’re willing to put up with me and…well, just wait.”

Levi’s eyes widened as she spoke. The thought of taking her in his bed that night had never once crossed his mind, and he realized that that was because she’d never made any indication of wanting that. Sure, he’d teased her a few times, but it was entirely impossible not to tease Eren, she was too cute when she was flustered. She was by no stretch of the word promiscuous. Eren was pure, innocent and terribly honest in all of her actions, those qualities are what initially attracted Levi to her, and he realized that he wanted to preserve those things, rather than corrupt them. She was quickly becoming someone very special to him, and the rate at which was happening was extremely alarming.

“I…” he smiled and reached out to caress her cherry-hued cheek, “of-course Eren. It’s not something you need to thank me for; we’re both in this relationship. You have just as much say in what goes on as I do, so please, don’t ever feel too scared or shy to voice your desires. We can take things as slow as you’d like. I don’t ever want you to feel forced to do anything. Understand?”

Eren smiled shyly, nodding into Levi’s gentle touch. “I understand. Thank you.” His hand fell from her cheek and grasped the ends of her still damp hair; he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the brown lock then let it fall back in place to join the rest.

“Goodnight Eren, sleep well.” He smiled and walked past her, pausing for several seconds at his bedroom door to hear her own “goodnight,” and watch her return to the guest bedroom. He couldn’t help but admire the view of her perfectly rounded bottom barely hidden beneath his shirt and shorts. ‘I could get used to this too,’ he thought as he closed his door and shut off the lights for the last time that night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> I was interrupted so many times during this edit that’s it almost not funny. Almost. Anyway, hope you enjoyed.
> 
> Sayonara til next time~


	17. Lounge Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin, if I did, no one would be dead.
> 
> A/N
> 
> A continuation of their Valentine’s weekend. Shorter than the last chapter but a still bit on the long side, hope you enjoy.

 

**Chapter Sixteen: Lounge Part 1**

“There,” Levi made the finishing touches on his waffles and set the plate of his favorite, fluffy treats, on the dining table to join the rest of the brunch he’d prepared for himself and Eren, while she continued to sleep the morning away. He scanned the table once more, making sure everything was in place before he gave a satisfied nod and started towards his guest bedroom.

He rapped lightly against the door and waited for an answer. After about a minute of silence, he sighed and gently cracked open the door.

“Eren?” he called softly, peeking into the opened door. He cracked a wide grin when he saw her sleeping form; she was sprawled out, with her limbs comfortably tangled in the white sheets of the guest bed. Her hair was strewn messily about her neck and the pillow she rested so soundly against. Levi walked into the room, quickly closing the distance between himself and the disheveled bed’s occupant.

He tried to call her once more, “Eren, wake up,” then reached down to move the wild mess of hair out of her peaceful, sleeping face, “it’s time to eat.” She responded to his touch, so he continued his light stroking until she came to completely.

While he waited for her to wake up, he studied her sleeping position, now that he was up close and personal. The top button on the night shirt had come undone, exposing a near sinful expanse of Eren’s collarbone and décolleté. The lightly tanned skin looked smooth, delicate, and incredibly attractive as the gentle dips and curves rose and fell with each inhale and exhale of breath.

Levi felt his throat go dry and had to swallow a few times before he allowed his gaze to continue further down her sleeping form, which was messily covered by the wrinkled white bed sheet. Only one of her thighs was exposed, due to her sleeping position, and Levi had never been more thankful for bed sheets than at that moment. He couldn’t imagine how much more restraint he’d need to keep himself from running his hands along those lean, softly sculpted calves and supple, soft looking thighs if both of her legs had been exposed. He could barely control himself seeing only part of one.

It was then that he noticed the duvet had been thrown to the other side of the bed, like it had been nearly kicked off completely. ‘So she’s a wild sleeper?’ he thought, chuckling to himself as his attention returned to her face. He was met with hazy, turquoise eyes that stared up at him, almost unseeing, as if he were just a vision.

Eren stirred slightly, she felt soft, warm touches against her scalp and down the sides of her face. The touches were soothing and light, full of care and warmth. She couldn’t help but remember back to her childhood, when Carla would run her warm, soft fingers through her hair to rouse her from sleep on her days off from school. There was no alarm, no screeching or hurrying, just a still, comfortable quiet, and gentle touches that were sometimes accompanied by melodic humming or a lowly sung tune. Remembering her mother brought not only a warm, fuzzy feeling to her chest, but also a distant sadness and a growing list of regrets.

 When Eren finally opened her eyes, she wasn’t sure what she expected to see, though her sleep ridden mind convinced her that she would see gentle brown eyes and a rounded face framed by soft brown locks and a small, welcoming smile. Instead she woke to concerned piercing gray orbs, a sharply featured face with a strong jaw line, and neatly combed, smooth black hair. The mouth belonging to the being – no to Levi – leaning over her bed, opened and closed quickly, however, her ears all but refused to recognize his words.  She blinked a few times to rid herself of the wetness that suddenly blurred her vision, then tried to focus on his lips to read what he was saying.

“Eren? Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Levi stared down, concerned for the young woman lying before him, she’d stared blankly at him, and for a moment he thought she was still upset from last night. But then she started crying, and he felt himself panic, ‘What the hell, what’s wrong, is she hurt? Did I scare her, is she still upset…does this have to do with last night…?’ the thoughts of possible causes of her tears ran rapidly through his head as he attempted to get another response from her.

He kneeled at her bedside and grabbed a hold of her hand while he wiped another tear away before it rolled down her wet cheek. “Why are you crying?” his eyes were full of such deep concern, he only hoped that he wasn’t the cause of the tears, and if he was, he hoped that he could make up for it in any way possible. It hurt him more than he wanted to admit to see her upset. When did she become so important? She’d practically – more like literally – tripped into his life and caused him to look at the world in a new light.

It wasn’t as if their meeting had been a life  changing experience, but everyday he felt himself growing more and more fond of their interactions, no matter how many or few they shared. He wanted to spend more time with her, get to know her better, and share more of his life and time with her. Hell, he’d gladly interrupt his daily schedule to see her, or even just to hear her voice.

Levi knew Eren was new to relationships and how they worked, but he found it increasingly more difficult, as each day passed, to believe that she’d never really been in one. What they had was too impossibly comfortable, and dare he say, almost too perfect, for someone who’d never played the field as he had in his younger years. A large part of him was impressed by Eren, while another felt responsible for educating her in how a partnership between two people should work, and yet another, selfish part of him was secretly glad that she’d never been with anyone before.

There was no baggage, well not any that he knew of, and she was essentially a perfectly clean canvas ready and willing to be brought to life with whatever colors he saw fit to add. Or so he’d thought. She was such a cheerful, strong, and absolutely stunning individual, but said lively being was now staring blankly at him, while silent tears rolled down her cheeks. She wasn’t despondent; rather, she seemed devoid of all emotion…almost empty. And that scared Levi greatly, the brilliant white canvas he’d thought he’d found, now seemed to be a stained, possibly torn workspace that he wanted nothing more than to repair and delight.

“Eren.” Levi tried calling out once more, this time with a much firmer, more forceful tone. He helped her sit up and gently shook her shoulders to bring the light back to her dulled, distant gems.

“Mom?” Eren said, just barely above a whisper. Levi narrowed his eyes and locked her face in between the palms his hands, gently running his thumbs across her cheeks.

“Eren, it’s just me, it’s Levi.” He said slowly in a low, stern tone.

Eren suddenly snapped back to reality. She placed her hand over one of Levi’s and grasped it tightly, he let her hold tighten and dropped his hand from her face, to allow her a better grip on it. “Levi…? What…was I…why am I crying?” she stared; confused for a moment before she remembered the odd dream-like state she’d been in.

He shook his head and started, “I’m not sure myself, but I’m glad you’ve stopped.” Levi completely released her face and gripped her other hand as she began to move out of the bed. She’d pulled her limbs out of the tangle of the bed sheet and draped her legs over the side of the mattress.

He gave her a little pull and helped her get out of bed. Eren fell forward, her leg still numb from being trapped under the other, and into Levi’s strong, and sturdy hold. His arms wrapped around her protectively and he let his hands rest right above the curve of her lower back, “Whoa, careful there sleeping beauty,” he joked, hoping to lighten the mood. He was rewarded with a short lived giggle, and the majority of Eren’s weight shifting off of him.

When he was sure she was stable enough to walk, he released her and moved back to give them both a little more personal space. It was then that he remembered his original purpose of waking up the clumsy, sleeping princess.

“First off, good morning,” he paused and looked over at the bright red letters against his desk clock, “Or should I say afternoon,” he quirked a brow which elicited a chuckle from Eren, “The food is ready to eat, I finished your laundry while you were sleeping this morning, so you’re welcome to go change or join me in that,” he gestured to the wrinkled, pleasantly revealing, borrowed night clothes Eren was wearing, “We’ve got a whole lot of nothing planned to do today, and the food is probably going to get cold if we stay here any longer, so whatever your choice is, make it snappy,” he smirked, then turned to exit the room.

* * *

 Eren stared at herself in the mirror; she’d rinsed her face several times with cold water, hoping that the slight puffiness and redness that came with her unexpected waterworks just moments before could be erased from her features.

Since Levi had only changed into another set of lounge clothes, Eren decided to stay in her borrowed threads and quickly joined him at the table after freshening herself up a bit.

She stared at the table, mouth agape in surprise at the generous spread that lay waiting for her. There were two place settings made out, both empty white plates had a glass of orange juice set next to them and were framed with set of polished silver utensils. In between the empty plates, were two small bowls of fruit, one had freshly cut fruit pieces and the other had whole berries, another small bowl was set next to the two fruit bowls, but this one held fresh, and delightfully fluffy whipped cream. There were two additional plates, each held a different stack of the fluffiest waffles Eren had ever seen, they were a little larger than the ones she made when she worked at the café and they looked delicious. She stared in both amazement and anticipation for delectable treat she was about to enjoy.

“This looks delicious Levi,” she started, walking closer to table. She reached to pull out the chair but Levi beat her to it, he smiled at her as she sat down and pushed the chair in and invited her to serve herself, “Thank you,” she smiled and waited for him to sit, before she started digging into the inviting spread.

She layered the first waffle, a plain Belgian according to Levi, with a generous serving of the freshly whipped cream and an equally generous serving of sliced strawberries, with a few blackberries to top it off. Without a second’s hesitation, she cut into the perfectly crispy and fluffy pastry and brought the first forkful to her mouth. The cream had a hint of vanilla and was tastefully sweetened, it provided the perfect balance between the juicy, tart fruits and the savory flavor of the waffle which all worked together to create one satisfying and pleasant experience. Eren closed her eyes and smiled around her fork, letting the flavors sink in for a moment before she devoured the rest of the first waffle.

Levi watched her clean her plate with an amused expression, while eating at a much slower pace than Eren. The serenity on her face caused events from several minutes before to almost be pushed to the back of his mind, _almost_. He really wanted to bring it back up, but seeing her so happy, he decided to wait until they had a quiet moment later on in the day, after all, they had the whole weekend ahead of them, since they’d both agreed to free up their time for at least this weekend, and hopefully for others in the not too distant future.

By the time Levi had finished his first waffle, Eren had started inhaling her third. He was drawn from his thoughts when he saw her reaching across the table. She landed a playful helping of whipped cream on the tip of his nose and it took him completely by surprise. He stared at her, un-amusedly while he wiped the sweet cream from his face, “Eren, what the hell was that for?” he made sure to keep his voice devoid of the usual melodic and playful tone he used whenever he spoke with Eren.

“You look too serious; I just wanted to wipe that sour look off your face with something sweet.” She grinned, all teeth and it took all of Levi’s willpower to not fall prey to her brilliant pearly whites.

He took a deep breath, and then served himself another waffle. ‘She wants to play a game, then so can I,’ he thought to himself, making sure to keep his face completely devoid of expression, something he was more than well practiced in. He ate, stoic expression hiding his amusement when Eren began to stare at him. He pretended like nothing had happened and continued to enjoy his meal.

“L-Levi…? You aren’t actually mad…are you?” she sounded so genuinely worried, he was tempted to crack a smile, but he had his mind set on the prize and he refused to settle. He briefly looked up from his plate, eyes drawn narrow and blank, then returned his attention to his meal, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. I…um...” her flustered face was almost enough to break his resolve, but he managed to hang on bit longer, “I…is there anything I can do to make up for it?”

‘There we go, that wasn’t so hard now was it?’ he thought, mentally patting himself on the back for sticking through and winning the grand prize. “If you’re really sorry,” he started without looking up from his plate, “then prove it.”

Eren nodded, “I am sorry, I’ll do anything you want, just tell me and I’ll do!” Of course Eren was thinking something more along the lines of cleaning up the kitchen or helping him around the house, her thoughts were nowhere near the plane that Levi’s were.

“Oh?” he said, finally looking up from his empty plate, he set his utensils down then sat back in his chair, “Then, if I asked you to clean this up, would that be a problem?”

Eren shook her head and quickly stood, ready to gather up the dishes and clean them, “No, of course not!”

Levi smirked and handed her his plate, “Then get to it, and when you’re finished, come to the living room.”

Eren nodded and offered a quick, “Yes sir,” before gathering the remaining dishes and dashing into the kitchen. Levi chuckled to himself and walked over to his office nook to grab a book, before he started towards his comfy, cushioned chair. He watched as Eren flitted around his kitchen, she’d gotten quite familiar with it, so she didn’t need to ask him where things went once she’d finished cleaning and drying them. Within minutes she’d finished and headed towards the living space to join Levi.

“I’m finished, what else do want me to do?”

‘She’s so eager to please,’ he thought to himself before issuing the next ‘order,’ “Very good, now come here Eren.” He beckoned her over to him; she walked until she stood directly in front of him as he sat in the chair. “Turn around,” she stared down at him a moment, then with a small sigh, complied. She was now facing the wall where the clock hung, feeling more self conscious than she should because of how scantily clad she’d opted to stay, in favor of haste earlier in the day. She nearly jumped when she felt Levi’s hands above her hips, “Sit,” was the simple order he issued as his hands guided her down and between his spread legs.

Levi was sure Eren’s face was impossibly red by now, and he momentarily regretted that he’d asked her to turn around. However, the view from the back wasn’t something that he didn’t appreciate. He’d never really taken the chance to look at it, but now that it was in his face, Levi could say with confidence that Eren Yeager had an exceptionally nice ass. When she was fit snuggly between his legs, he let himself lean forward and rest against her back for a moment before taking his teasing game a little further. He pushed her brown locks to the side and pulled down the back of the collar of the night shirt to expose more of her neck.

 “Comfortable?” he breathed against the sensitive skin of her nape. When she nodded, Levi took that as his queue to proceed.

He started with quick, light kisses from the top of her neck down to the base, he noticed her subtle shudder when he kissed right below the nape, and decided to try something to further test the reaction. He pressed a firm kiss to the same spot, and then gave it an experimental lick. He wrapped his arms comfortably around her waist and continued his assault on her neck, lightly sucking the spot he’d previously kissed and licked. After sucking the skin red, he gently bit the reddened skin and then repeated the process.

Eren leaned forward slightly, to expose more of her neck to his sweet, pleasurable torture. Levi smirked at her actions and decided to reward her with more, light kisses along her neckline. He ghosted his breath over each spot before placing his lips against her skin, and then pulled away slowly in an attempt to tickle with each kiss.

The slow, quiet laughs that he elicited from Eren, soon rose in volume and frequency as she couldn’t hold back her laughter from the teasing attention he gave her neck. “Ha-haha…hahaha” her giggles filled the room and Levi smirked against her skin, satisfied that he got what he was after. After seeing her so upset earlier, all he wanted was to hear her honest and pure laughter, not something forced or nervous.  

“Eren, turn around.” She let her laughs settle down and moved to comply with his request. The chair was plush and comfortable just like his chaise and love seat, but it was much too small and cramped for two people, no matter how comfortable it was for one person. Eren’s long legs were bent and spread, her shins pressed against the back of the crushed velvet chair while Levi’s hands rested on the thighs he’d admired and longed to touch.

He reluctantly removed one hand from her thigh and placed it against the small of her back for more support and comfort. After she’d adjusted a bit more, and stared down at him, awaiting the next request, he smirked and spoke once more, “Kiss me.” Without a seconds hesitation Eren’s mouth was slotted against his. Though he’d been the one to issue the order, he hadn’t been expecting her to so eagerly respond.

He watched, with half lidded eyes, as her face drew closer. Her eyes were shut, and he was a little disappointed that he couldn’t see their odd color which mesmerized him to no end, but his silent complaint was forgotten when he felt her tongue slide across his lower lip. With a smirk, he parted and allowed her to explore just as he had the evening before, ‘She’s quite the honor student,’ he let her continue her curious prodding, but decided to take over the kiss before it got too messy, ‘but she still so much more to learn.’ Within seconds of his taking the lead, he had her red faced and heavily panting once she’d pulled away.

Seeing this as the perfect opportunity, he leaned forward and gave her one more, slow, sensual kiss before breaking away and kissing her cheek, indicating that this was as far as their lovemaking would go. When he pulled back and helped her settle comfortable in his lap, he looked down to see the most beautiful smile she’d ever given him. He felt his breath hitch in his chest and he pulled her towards him in a tight hug, silently thankful that she had chosen not to dress when he felt her warm, soft chest, pressed against his.

* * *

 They’d stayed sitting in the chair for a while longer, wrapped in each other’s embrace. Eren draped her legs over the arm rest and sat between Levi’s parted legs, her head rested comfortably against his shoulder while her hands alternated between flipping the pages of the book he read aloud, and fiddling with the hem of the borrowed night shirt. Levi had an arm wrapped comfortably and securely around Eren’s waist, while the other held the book he was reading in their laps.

After staying like this through the better part of the afternoon, Levi paused his reading and set the book down. He looked to Eren lying peacefully in his arms and studied her expression for a moment. She looked content and relaxed, but he could tell she still wasn’t all there. There had been a few times where she’d zoned out completely and neglected to turn the page. He’d even asked her a few questions, like whether or not she was enjoying the read or if she was bored. Her responses were either delayed or devoid of emotion, and that was alarming to Levi. He was a psychology professor after all, he could tell by her actions, no matter how subtle, that she was distressed, and from the looks of things, possibly about more than one thing.

He wanted to try something different and change up the pace a bit, in hopes that she’d genuinely have more fun, or would feel the need or want to open up and share her troubles with him. He was more than qualified to give advice, though at this point, he was not sure he’d be able to completely separate his professional background from his emotional attachment to the young woman cradled so closely in his arms.

“Eren,” Levi spoke lowly, he waited for her to respond. When she shifted, he continued, “Do you want to do something different tonight?”

Eren looked up from his chest and stared at him with a questioning look in her eyes, “That depends on what you mean by different.”

Levi cracked a smile and planted a quick peck on her lips, “I mean, do you want to go out tonight? We should do something fun and exciting. Maybe a club or a nice lounge, something along those lines, how does that sound?”

Eren’s brows knitted together in confusion for a moment before her features relaxed and her lips turned up in small smile. “Wait a second, you want me,” she pointed to herself, “to go clubbing,” she rocked her hips playfully in his lap, and finished by placing her hand on Levi’s chest, “with you?” She let a short laugh escape before continuing, “I never thought, under any circumstance, that I would ever be invited to a club by a professor.”

Levi let out a deep sigh and gripped her waist with a bit more force, “So is that a yes or no? Unless,” he started with amusement present in his voice, then it quickly died away as he continued on, “you just want to keep rocking against me and see just how _different_ this night can end for you,” the playful nature of the threat was masked by his well practiced, stern and dark tone.

Eren shuddered at his touch and quickly shook her head, “ _That_ won’t be necessary since we already have plans for tonight,” she smirked and leaned in to kiss his lips before he could spout anymore teasing threats, “but if we’re going out, I’m definitely going to need access to my closet…”

“Oh?” Levi smirked and pulled her down for one more, hungry kiss and loosened the grip on her waist.

“Yes, so if you wouldn’t mind taking me home for a bit…?”

Levi nodded and she slid from his lap, “Alright, let’s go get changed and we’ll head over to your place.” She practically skipped towards the laundry area and grabbed her freshly cleaned clothing before prancing back to the guest bedroom, all the while giving Levi an eyeful of her perfectly rounded and sinfully perky bottom.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> And then there was sudden sadness? I swear, this story writes itself sometimes. Also fun fact, I wrote the majority of this chapter while listening to 2NE1’s new album Crush, if you’re into k-pop or are looking for something different, fun, and incredibly satisfying, then I highly, /highly/, recommend checking out the album. Every song is a kill and they are all worth a listen. “They love me cause I’m hot, the love me cause I’m cold, they love me cause I’m real, they love me cause I kill.” – 2NE1 Crush
> 
> Sayonara til next week~


	18. Lounge Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin, if I did, no one would be dead.

**Chapter Seventeen: Lounge Part 2**

The couple arrived at Eren’s complex. She instructed Levi to park in the underground garage, since they were likely to be at her place for a little while. Once they were inside her apartment, Eren gave Levi another quick tour of her humble, but cozy abode, then left him to his own devices whilst she raked through her closet in search of appropriate attire for the night out they had planned.

“I don’t think I’ve ever really shown you around my place have I?” Eren questioned, locking the door behind both herself, and Levi, as she stepped out of her shoes in the small, linoleum tiled entryway.

“No, I’ve never had the pleasure,” Levi smirked when he saw his favorite color dust her cheeks.

With a roll of her eyes and small huff, Eren strode past him and beckoned for him to follow her.

“This is the kitchen,” she indicated with a wave of her hand, “and through those doors is the saddest excuse for a laundry room that has ever existed,” Levi chuckled and followed her as she turned and walked out onto the carpeted area, “this is the living and dining space,” she walked over to a glass paneled door with the blinds drawn up, “and through these doors is a little patio.” She unlocked the door and opened it, allowing Levi to step through and admire the view of the pool and the pleasant afternoon breeze.

Levi stepped over to the railing and looked down at it, he quickly dusted a bit of the dirt and other debris that pile up on outdoor structures, then rested his arms against it. He leaned forward a bit to take a quick look around the area. Eren’s unit was on the first floor, on the corner of the building. He was able to see the quaint, cobblestone pathway that separated her building from the others. He took a deep breath, and then released it as he took in the relaxing smell that the small garden, surrounding the pool, created. He looked to Eren, then back to the calming landscape, “This is nice.”

He noticed she had no patio furniture, ‘What a shame, this is a great place to read,’ he thought to himself, making a mental note to keep a look out for a few decently priced pieces for her.

“Thanks,” she smiled, then went back towards the door, “You already know where the bathroom is, and right across from that is my bedroom.” She paused when he noticed he wasn’t making a move to follow her, “You’re more than welcome to pull a chair from my kitchen table and sit out here if you’d like. It’s nice out today,” her eyes lit up when Levi turned and smiled at her, “I’ll be in my room, if you need anything, just knock alright?” With that, she stepped back inside and headed towards her room to pick out her outfit for the night.

Though the apartment was small and a little cramped, the closet, and Eren’s bedroom, were decently sized. Eren walked into her closet and immediately started to search through her dresses.

‘He said it was called ‘The Legion’ right?’ she thought to herself, ‘I wonder what would be appropriate. Surely I can’t go wrong with a simple black dress…or maybe I should go more casual? It is a lounge after all…but wait, it’s an adult lounge, there probably won’t be anyone else around my age there…maybe it’d be better to dress up a little then?’ Her thoughts continued like this for another fifteen or so minutes, while she wondered in and out of her closet, laying out a few options on her bed to choose from later.

By the end of her search, she stared, stuck between the newest little black dress she’d added to her closet from a sale two weeks prior, and the black sequined piece she’d worn to the Christmas party. After a prolonged, internal debate, she decided on the new dress. It was a bit more daring than the sequined dress, but Eren didn’t mind standing out a little every once and a while.

The bodice on this dress was a simple, curve hugging design, which stopped a few inches past the curve of her bottom, making it fall into the category of a mini-dress. The top and back of the piece were where the fun happened. The sleeves were made of a black, lacey material that stretched from her wrists, all the way up to her collar bone, cutting into the solid black of the bodice, and making neckline look like the top of a solid black triangle. The back was made of the same lacey material which curved off right above the small of her back. She decided against any leg wear and opted to only dress up, the already attractive piece, with a simple pair of silver studs and a matching ring. She finished the outfit with a pair of tastefully sparkled, silver platforms.

Satisfied with her outfit choice, she stepped out of the shoes and carried them with her as she left her bedroom and went to the bathroom to do something with her hair and makeup.

Levi’s head turned when he heard the door opening, his jaw nearly fell when he saw what she was wearing. Then he noticed the platform heels in her hands and felt his eye twitch in annoyance. ‘She has to be doing that on purpose, I really need to get inserts,’ he’d always known he was on the short side. It was something he’d thought he’d come to terms with long ago, but he felt his ‘little man complex’ returning bit by bit whenever he went out with Eren.

He forced these thoughts into the back of his mind when she disappeared behind the bathroom door. Turning back around and looking down to his phone, Levi thumbed through the search engine he’d been using to find a restaurant to eat at.

It had been a while since he last went to The Legion, he knew they had food, but he couldn’t really recall if was decent or not. Their website did little to aid his faulty memory. The last time he’d gone there, he had practically been dragged out by Erwin and Hange for his 23rd birthday. He laughed to himself, thinking that he’d go out to a place like that of his own volition. The laugh was short lived as his thoughts returned to earlier events in the day that brought on this abrupt decision to go out. ‘I hope she has fun tonight, but I also want to know what upset her. I don’t think it was anything I did, since she said ‘Mom,’ but what does her mother have anything to do with…’ he stopped, as his mind thought of the worst possible, and most likely situation which caused Eren’s tears, ‘She mentioned her mother had passed away, which explains why she’s off on her own like this…but who is… no, how can she afford the tuition by herself, is that why she works so much?’

His thoughts were interrupted by the clearing of a throat, “Ahem.”

Eren stood before him, hair brushed down neatly, and makeup complete. Levi could only stare. The sweet innocence he’d fallen for was completely masked, what stood before him was a sexy, dare he say, sultry, version of the young woman he’d held in his arms earlier that day.

Women were positively amazing creatures. He’d never truly be able to understand how they could switch from playful and sweet, to seductive and sexy with a few simple strokes of a brush and a change of clothes. She was like a completely different woman. Well, almost. Maybe in a few more years, she really would be, but for the night, she was just dressed as though she were.

“You look great,” he finally said, after catching his gaze linger a bit too long on…well, everything. Her legs looked fantastic, the dressed hugged her in all the right places, and her hair and makeup made her looked polished and sophisticated. Levi was tempted to just stay in and enjoy her all to himself for the remainder of the evening, he did not want any others looking at her, lest he grow jealous.

But he’d been the one to invite her out, so he had to keep his word. She would no doubt be disappointed if he cancelled just because she looked too good to share with the world.

He stood from the sofa and grabbed his jacket, ready to head out for a light dinner, before taking Eren to The Legion later in the evening.

* * *

Levi had his car valet parked. The Legion was located in the middle of a street, bustling with its Saturday night crowd of regulars and first timers. It was nearly impossible to find a front parking, so he settled for the next best thing, having someone else park it for him.

As he exited his car, he fished out his wallet and tipped the teenaged looking boy with a few bills and made his way over to escort Eren out of the car. Levi all but glared at the men who gawked at the long-legged, bright eyed and tanned beauty as she stepped out of his not-unimpressive vehicle. He slipped his arm around her waist, and let his hand rest on her hip as he pulled her closer to him and they walked towards the entrance.

Eren was a little surprised by Levi’s seemingly adolescent behavior; she couldn’t help but laugh at how protective he’d gotten. ‘Hmm, I must look better than I thought,’ she giggled at her own inner monologue.

She allowed Levi to hold her close; she wasn’t exactly opposed to the contact, even if it was a bit childish. She actually found it quite amusing and made a mental note to tease him about it later.

As they finally neared the entrance to the lounge, Levi noticed the line of, rather young looking people, which continued down the street a little ways off. He was a little confused by it, but paid the line of people little attention as he and Eren approached the door, and its bouncer.

The man was tall, with broad, muscular shoulders, and an obvious fake tan. He wore darkly shaded sunglasses despite the fact that the sun had long since set, and the moon had taken over as the sky’s major source of illuminating light. He was a bit heavy set, but the muscles in his arms were more than convincing that his beer belly wouldn’t slow him down in the least, should he have to physically restrain you.

The bouncer gave Levi one look and huffed, then his eyes fell on Eren. He gave her a once over, then looked back to Levi, who’d raised his brow in challenge, as if daring the impressively sized man to question him. The man signaled for them to enter the area and directed them to the counter that lay just beyond the entrance.

Levi fished a few more bills from his wallet and tipped the bouncer, in silent appreciation, before walking over to the counter. He asked her to wait while he paid, since he didn’t want her to feel bad for how much he’d be spending on her entrance alone. Women usually got a discount, but minors had to pay a bit extra, since the lounge wouldn’t make much off of them from the bar. Levi flashed his ID and told the woman behind that counter that Eren was still a minor.

He beckoned Eren over, and the woman stamped her hands with an odd design of overlapping wings, one, Eren noticed, was similar to the centerpiece on Levi’s dining table. She made another mental note to ask him about that particular wing design, but held her tongue as she was finally escorted into the first, of four, large rooms that made up The Legion.

“Wow,” she said in awe, openly staring at the first space, without the knowledge that three other, equally unique spaces awaited her, “This is amazing.”

The room was dimly lit; the only light sources seemed to come from the crystal chandeliers that hung above the seating areas, in between each space, there were a few metal sconces hung on the walls and several tall metal lamps in the corners of each sitting area. The overall lack of house lighting did wonders on the space, highlighting the golden painted walls and making their metallic sheen subtle and tasteful.

Each sitting area had it own, unique twist, to make it a little bit different from the next, but in general, they were comprised of two, rather large and comfortable looking, leather chairs. Each one was made of dark, cedar-colored leather, with a button-tufted design covering the sides, back, and seat of the chair. The wing-backed style blended well with the rolled arms and the brassy nailhead design that trimmed the front of the arms, all the way down to where the wooden feet began.  It was stand alone piece that looked like it had been ordered straight from a 19th century antiquarian shop.

Opposite each chair, rested a rounded ottoman, each was made of a red, more modern, snakeskin leathered design. They were much simpler than the chair, but did nothing to distract from the antique and classy ambiance of the area. In between the chairs and ottomans, stood a small, wooden, square table, finished with a cherry lacquer. All of these pieces were sectioned off into separate, more private areas, by a large woven rug that differed for each space.

The overall mission of this room was to offer a private, lavish, and elegant environment to The Legion’s guests.

It did all that and more.

Levi watched as Eren’s eyes wandered around the space, filled with excitement, wonder, and a hint of apprehension. He followed closely by her side as she wandered around the room, admiring the décor and ambiance. He couldn’t help but think how beautiful she looked in the dim lighting. The light hit her in just the right places, bouncing off the tip of her nose, and highlighting the apples of her cheeks, not to mention how it made the light gloss she had on her lips shine just right. Those soft, perfect, and kissable lips. Yes, her perfectly kissable lips.

 Levi realized he’d been staring a bit too long and forced his gaze away. “So,” he started, “do you like it?”

Eren looked at him with surprise for a moment before answering, “No,” then she grinned widely, “I love it, I just can’t decide where I want to sit though,” she laughed at Levi’s expression.

“Well don’t decide yet,” he stated, taking her hand in his when he noticed a man from a mixed group eyeing Eren, “There is still a lot more to see.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> That paragraph devoted to Levi’s shortness was for you Mara (remember when I said I’d stop reminding you about their height difference LOL). I just wish I could see your face when you read it, (who knows, maybe I will) //cackles and rides off into the sunset.
> 
> Fun facts! Erwin Smith’s VA for Attack on Titan’s English dub is J. Michael Tatum. Erwin and Sebastian are both played by the same VA in Japanese and in English too. Ehehehehe.
> 
> Also! La Corda d'Oro is getting a third season, it’s projected to air this April. Ahhhh I’m so excited. I love that series.
> 
> Sayonara til next week~


	19. Lounge Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin, if I did, no one would be dead.

**A/N**

**For future updates on the status of this fic (or any of my fics in general), you can follow my tumblr,[haruka-hourou](http://haruka-hourou.tumblr.com/), and check my works link or track the [tag](http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/fic:-mundane) fic: mundane.**

**Updates and progress for all my fics and art (and cosplay lolololol) can be found in the ‘My Works’[link](http://haruka-hourou.tumblr.com/tagged/mine) on my tumblr.**

**Thanks so much for your patience.**

**Chapter Eighteen: Lounge Part 3**

With Levi in the lead, holding Eren’s hand comfortably in his own, the couple made their way across the hallway and into the next room. They paused in front of the door for a moment to read the words, printed out in a golden scrawl, “‘The Dungeon,’ huh.” Levi stated before turning the bronzed knob and pushing the door open. Eren noticed immediately after they entered the space, that it was much smaller in comparison to the first room she’d seen. Small yes, but its size helped offer it its own unique atmosphere, which was wholly different compared to the first space.

There were three walls which each held its own, different, yet ominously impressive painting, each one was done on a large canvas that stretched nearly from the floor to the ceiling.

Eren stared in awe, at the first of the eerie trio of paintings she saw upon entering the room. The colors were quite rich, yet oddly faded, perhaps due to the, impossibly dimmer, lighting of the space compared to the first room. The subject of each canvas appeared to be some type of orchid, but upon closer inspection, Eren was shocked, and a little disturbed to discover that they were not artistically stylized orchids, rather, they were portraits of dead, ghostly, women in flowing gowns made from the cloths used to wrap the deceased for burial after the bodies had been embalmed.

Each of the three apparitions governed her own area, highlighted by an overhanging studio light, pointing directly at each of their faces, serving to further wash out their pallid complexions, and distort the already obscure image.

To either side of each painting were small altars, which held several antique pieces, made of glass, different metals, and an absurd amount of gears and wires. There were also tall, bronzed metal candelabras which served to further the eerie, almost haunted environment of this second room, by offering just enough light to make you think that you knew what you were seeing, but not enough to really show you what it is you actually saw. Along with the gears and clocks, which littered the altar and iron coffee tables, there were large, rusted chains, their broken links and cuffs were draped in an oddly decorative fashion.

Within each apparition’s domain, were several seating areas which lay separated, but not as privately as the previous room. To help add a bit more seclusion to each section, there hung large, black velvet curtains, which were pulled back to the sides, whether or not they could be let loose, remained a mystery, since they were so neatly drawn back. The seats of each section were spaced much further apart, and the sections themselves were closer in proximity to each other. The seats weren’t nearly as impressive as the antiquarian pieces found previous room. They were much more modern, sleek, and chic in design, made out of a dark chocolate, almost espresso, black leather fabric, which stretched cleanly over the simple, mod design of each seat. All the chairs were of the same style, including the few love seats that peppered the area.

The walls were made of, what appeared to be stone, it took Eren a few quick breathes to gather up the courage to venture further into the room, once she did, she confirmed that the walls were indeed made of some kind of stone, rather, that were made of a dark gray, textured concrete. The floors were slate, smoothed, and grout less, and offered an overall peculiar, cave-like, feeling to the space.

This room was definitely not for the faint of heart, the music that played was low, full of deep drums and the alternations of high and low keys of the piano, accompanied with a menacing scratching noise, it was an odd mix of high and low pitches. The peculiar addition of moans and sudden screeches did little to ease the increasingly unsettling tension felt by both Eren and Levi.

Levi stayed towards the entrance of the room, since he was able to see from the very beginning that Eren was not going to want to stay in this room too long. The place seemed almost like an occult dungeon, a high class one, but a dungeon nonetheless. ‘Well, I suppose it is called ‘The Dungeon’ for a reason.’ He was actually a little surprised when she loosened her grip on his hand, and even more so, when he released her and let her wander further into space.

After a few moments, he decided to join her as she ventured further into the room. ‘I don’t really remember this much,’ he thought to himself as he studied the space in front of one of the curtains. He noticed that only three sections were viewable, but the room itself was supposed to be larger and it was rectangular, if he recalled correctly, yet this room seemed much smaller and more square.

He turned and searched the last wall, which appeared to be covered in a black, velvety material, much like the curtains from the other spaces. That’s when it clicked, ‘Ah, this section must have the curtain drawn,’ and then the curiosity kicked in, ‘But why?’ he wondered, unconsciously walking towards the closed off space, leaving Eren to the mercy of the, oddly silent and sparse, inhabitants of the room.

The workers, draped in long, black silken robes, walked around carrying small boxes. Allowing her curiosity to get the best of her, Eren approached one of the men, “Excuse me sir,” the man turned and nodded, acknowledging that he heard her, “What is that?” she pointed to the intricately painted box in the man’s hand.

He smirked before replying, “Is this your first time here?”

“Ah, yes actually, my pro-ah-boyfriend brought me here, he’s actually right over-” she turned to point over to where she’d last seen Levi, “there…” but stopped when she realized he was nowhere in sight. “What…? Where the hell did he go?” she questioned aloud, though mostly to herself, turning to vainly search each section of the room.

The man chuckled, “I see, then, if you would please follow me miss,” he offered her the box, which she reluctantly accepted, “I think I know where he is.”

With a small nod, and a heavy gulp, Eren followed the man to the part of the room that didn’t have a painting, well, at least not a visible one. They paused in front of the curtains, and the man pulled back the heavy, black crushed velvet barrier.

Eren’s eyes widened in both surprise and horror.

The walls were lined with chains, and odd contraptions which held a few people, restrained against them, both men and women alike. In one corner, there was a group of people, some fully clothed; while others were less than scantily clad, being beaten with…was that a…whip?

The man who’d lead Eren into the room was now behind her, and pushing her further into the space.

“What is it that you like then miss?”

Eren stared at the man, incredulity ablaze in her eyes. “Huh?”

He pointed down to the box which she held in her hands and indicated that she opened it. Seeing how the night couldn’t get any stranger at this point, Eren narrowed her eyes and then took another quick breathe before she clicked the latch and lifted up the lid on the box. Inside, neatly placed and organized, was a set of leather items. Items which Eren vowed that she never wanted to see again in her life so long as she remained sane.

She all but slammed the box shut, causing the few, otherwise _unoccupied_ persons in the room to look up and stare at her. She fumbled the box back into the man’s hands and nearly screeched when she felt her body pulled back, and towards the curtain.

“H-hey, what the fuck, let me go,” she yanked her arm from the firm grip once she’d gotten a safe distance from the curtain, when she turned, she froze in place, her eyes locked with the iciest glare she’d ever seen.

“Oh? So what, you’re into BDSM?” Levi questioned, folding his arms across his chest. “Duly noted.”

“What? Wait…what is that?” she waved her hand dismissively at the look Levi gave her, “No, never mind, I don’t want to know. Where the hell did you go?”

Levi almost chuckled at the reddened face reproaching him, “It’s been a while since I’ve been here…and things have changed. I was curious.” He turned and offered Eren his arm, smirking when she wrapped her own around his and held it firmly to her chest. “Shall we move on?”

He’d barely gotten the words out before Eren led them out of the room and back towards the hallway that they’d come from. Levi was actually surprised that they didn’t bump into anyone; she was walking so quickly and recklessly. ‘Wow, she’s really flustered.’ He smiled and let himself be lead to the next room, which it looked like Eren would be passing soon if she didn’t slow down.

Levi noticed the sign for men’s and women’s bathrooms as they quickly jet past the entrances to both, in Eren’s rushed effort to distance them both from the kinkier part of the lounge.

* * *

Levi insisted that Eren go calm herself down in the bathroom they’d passed in her haste, he stood outside the facilities, leaning on the wall, watching and waiting for Eren to come out. After almost ten minutes passed, he felt himself growing impatient. ‘How the hell long is she going to be in there?’ It wasn’t that he didn’t respect her personal time with the shitter, everyone deserves their moment of complete relaxation and false solitude provided by the flimsy stalls that separated you from all the others emptying their bowels, but what he didn’t like, were all the sideways glances and straight on, intentionally flirtatious looks, both men and women gave him whilst he remained indifferent, and _still_ waiting. 

Thankfully, after another five minutes of ignored attempts to pick him up, outside of a bathroom mind you, how classy, Eren emerged looking energized and refreshed. Levi perked up and all but latched onto her arm, dragging her towards the nearest room.

She was pulled so quickly she almost didn’t have a chance to read the title, written in a neat, cursive text, ‘The Boudoir.’

“Woah, sorry I made you wait but what’s the rush…” she started her question but stopped when she turned to view the newest room, “Wow,” she breathed out, all but forgetting her annoyance at being dragged so forcefully down the hallway.

“This is definitely new,” Levi said, his own mouth subtly widened, whilst Eren stared with her mouth openly agape, completely mesmerized by ‘The Boudoir.’

It was a complete 180 from previous two rooms. It was bright, colorful, and the music was much more welcoming.

The sound consisted of slow, but not boringly so, beats and strings of guitars and violins accompanied with the higher keys of the piano, delicately placed at deliciously appropriate parts of the composition. A steady beat of drums and a cello could be heard, helping keep the time, and anchor the other instruments, creating a perfectly harmonic and relaxing tune. The sad and emotional voice of a woman entered into the mix, aligning perfectly with the poignant lull of the violin.

Eren and Levi walked further into the room, immediately drawn into the inviting, and luxuriously vibrant space.

The floors were covered in luscious, dark lavender carpeting with an oblong, silvery gray design, stretching from wall to wall. The ceiling mimicked the oblong design, only, on a more detailed and much larger scale, it was a cream color, and appeared to be painted wood.

Each wall was covered in fabric, the wall to their immediate left, was covered in a deep burgundy, leather textured fabric, which stretched along the curved wall from the floor to the ceiling, cut off by the deep, cherry wood crown molding. It had a button tufted design, much like the chair from the first room, but this was on a much larger scale, each of the diamonds that made the tufts was about the size of Eren’s torso. The other two walls were made of a dusty rose pink brocade fabric, with a similar tufted design. The ‘buttons’ were giant, creamy colored pearls that added a lavishly posh feeling to the room.

Each of the walls that had the pink brocade design, cut off halfway by dark cherry wood paneling, of a similar design to the crown molding. There were a few, ornately decorated mirrors with golden and pearlescent detailing. They were framed to either side by fleur sconces, decorated with bronzed roses.

The space was appropriately named ‘The Boudoir,’ since the couple felt like they’d walked right into a modern Victorian French parlor. The tables were simple single legged stands, with the table top made of a circular piece of white marble. The seating areas were placed; much like a little café would be, with two to four chairs around each table. The chairs were all the same, they looked like slipper chairs, lower to the ground with a wide seat and lowly placed back rest. The wood was a dark brown chocolately color, and the fabric was richly colored champagne brocade.

They approached an empty table, a little more than halfway into the space. Levi pulled out a chair and allowed Eren to sit first, before he pulled up a chair on the opposite side of the small white table. Within seconds of sitting down, a handsome young waiter approached them, wearing black slacks, a crisp, white button down, and a dark amethyst silken waistcoat, complete with a black bowtie.

“Bonsoir Monsieur,” he greeted Levi, and then quickly glanced at Eren’s hands, “Mademoiselle,” he nodded, then set down a dainty menu on the marble tabletop, “My name is Rafael, should you need anything tonight, please, do not hesitate to let me know.” His chocolate colored eyes lingered on Eren’s bright chartreuse eyes too long for Levi’s liking. The light blush on Eren’s face did nothing to ease his quickly growing green monster.

He fixed the waiter with a cold glare, and watched the man retreat back to wherever he’d slithered out from. Levi’s focus returned to Eren, as she excitedly searched through the little menu. ‘This is definitely new,’ he couldn’t help complaining to himself. Soon the tension he’d felt when the waiter, what was his name again, Rafael, or something, was near, dissipated, as he watched Eren flip through the menu and point at various sweets and the odd names of the drinks she saw.

“Have you ever had a Cotillon before?” Eren broke their small silence, joining in with the quiet murmur of voices of the people around them and the cool tones of the music that was playing. It sounded like a harp had been added in.

“Hmm?” Levi asked, looking to where she pointed with her neatly manicured nails, ‘I didn’t notice how pretty her hands were,’ he got distracted by the long, tanned fingers, that were now impatiently tapping against a menu item.

“Have you?”

“Have I what?” He asked, not looking away from the slender digits.

“Ever had this dessert, am I saying it that wrong?” Eren sighed and handed the menu to Levi.

“Ah, yes actually, my mother used to make it for Christmas, it’s basically just a glorified chocolate mousse cake, with a bit more character and flavor.” He finally looked up and saw that the abundant light of the space made her eyes appear to shimmer, just like the shallow, cerulean waters of the ocean. “Do you want to try it?” He really didn’t want to call that waiter over again, but he couldn’t deny her want of a cake. Not when she looked at him with those eyes, and especially not when she looked like she did tonight.

“Yes, please,” she smiled.

“Anything else?” he almost chuckled when she snatched the menu out of his hands.

After a few more moments of deliberation, Eren handed Levi the menu and went over her choices, which surprisingly, he agreed to.

“Anything in particular you want to drink?” Eren shook her head, “Alright, then I’ll pick something for you then.”

She nodded. “Sounds fine to me.”

Levi waved the waiter over and was about to start listing off their order, but the man directed his attention to Eren, who was currently still taking in the room and not entirely paying attention to either man at the moment.

“Did you find something you like Mademoiselle?” The words were spoken low and slow, he purposely drew out the “moiselle,” as if he were letting it linger on tongue so he could taste it.

It made Levi shudder.

“Hmm?” Eren turned around and met the chocolate gaze again, “Oh, yes, I wanted a few desserts, Levi, what were they called again?” She reached for the menu, but he kept a firm grip on it.

“Ahem,” Levi cleared his throat and brought the man’s attention back to him, “ _We,_ would like a chocolate cotillion, the flower pâte à choux, a mixed berry tart, and the dark chocolate raspberry macarons. She’ll have a Shirley Temple and water, and I’ll have a cup of coffee. Black.”

The waiter quickly scrawled down the order and all but scurried back to his hovel upon seeing the cold, threatening glower Levi fixed him with.

“Shirley Temple?” Eren questioned, unconsciously reaching across the table to play with Levi’s hand.

He let her do as she pleased, running her soft fingers along his neatly kept digits. “Mhm, I’m sure you’ll like it.” He sighed, relaxing with the continued contact as she began to massage his hand.

Less than ten minutes later, Levi’s favorite waiter arrived with the decadent spread, leaving each treat on the table along with their drinks. Without a word, he nodded and hurried away from the table just as quickly and silently as he had come.

Eren giggled as she watched him retreat into the back of the room, “I think you scared him.”

Levi smirked and took a sip of his coffee, “Good, you should have seen the way he was looking at you, little punk.”

Eren chuckled and reached for the tall glass filled with the sweet red drink, garnished with a lime and a cherry, “Well I wouldn’t exactly call him little,” she took a quick drink and tried to hide behind the glass when she saw the look on Levi’s face, “Mmm, this is yummy, thanks for ordering it for me.”

When the abrupt subject change didn’t did nothing to alleviate the heated gaze he sent her way, Eren turned to the side and pretended that he wasn’t glaring bullets into her skull. ‘Okay, so height is definitely an issue with him, note to self, don’t mention it ever again.’ She set her drink down and coughed a little, before trying to push the steely gray focus onto something other than her face, “Ah, well these sweets look amazing,” she smiled sheepishly at Levi then looked back down to the spread, “Shall we?”

With a gruff grunt, Levi started for the cake that Eren had been excited to order in the first place, just to spite her. The childish antics settled after they both took their first bite of the chocolate cake, relishing in the smooth and airy sponge layers, delicately flavored with a hint of lemon, coupled with the rich chocolate mousse layers, all topped off with a dark chocolate ganache, and the thin slice of the candied lemon with the candy ribbon on top of the cake to complete the look.

After they’d finished the chocolate cake, Levi set the dish to the side and placed the flower choux between them. Not a moment later, the empty dish was cleared and before either of them could say anything, the waiter was already fast walking away. Eren shook her head and Levi just laughed.

Each choux was glazed with a different color, and topped with different flower petals or herbs. One had a rose petal, another had a mint leaf, the next had a lavender sprig, and the next had a violet, the final choux had a tiny orchid on top of it. Eren smiled widely at the cute display, she took out her phone and snapped a few quick pictures to show Mikasa and Armin later, then reached for the rose colored choux.

She reached across the table and placed the choux to Levi’s lips, he looked at her questioningly, but opened his mouth nonetheless, taking a bite of the choux and letting the flavors of the vanilla and raspberry cream meld together with the lightly flavored rose glaze. Each flavor was mild, but when paired together, they worked incredibly well and tasted fresh and delicious. He smirked and tried to finish off the rest of the puff, but Eren had already popped the last half in her own mouth, grinning widely at momentary twitch of disappointment in Levi’s features. They playfully finished off the rest of the choux puffs in this manner, alternating between serving one another. The berry tart and the macaroons were also shared, and soon, the table was empty, save for Levi’s second cup of coffee and Eren’s nearly finished, virgin drink.

“I’m gonna run to the bathroom real quick, I’ll be right back,” Eren stated, standing up from the low chair.

“Alright, I’ll be right there, we can go to the next room.” He paused, then looked up to meet Eren’s eyes, “Unless you want to stay here longer?”

Eren smiled and shook her head, “No, that’s fine. We can come another time right?”

Levi smirked and nodded, “If you’d like to, I’ll gladly bring you back.”

“I would love that,” she smiled, then started towards the exit, intent on getting to the bathroom without further interruption.

When she’d left the room, Levi waved the waiter over and handed him his card. A few moments later, Rafael returned with his card and the check for him to sign. Levi was reluctant to tip the creep, but he did do a good job on waiting on them, so he swallowed his dislike for the man and left him a tip anyway.

Once everything was in order, he left the room behind and made his way back towards the restrooms, taking his place on the wall to await Eren’s return, all while glaring at anyone who dared look his direction.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> And finally closing the Valentine’s weekend sect (almost hurhur)! Next week will finally end it! But that kink though, I honestly don’t even know where that bit came from, but you know what, I just don’t even question myself anymore. Things happen. And then by the time I realize what I’ve done, it’s too late because I’ve already written 5 pages of it.
> 
> Fun Fact: I’m almost done with my Fem!Eren cosplay.
> 
> So let me know, do you like it when I go into detail about the spaces and such? Or is it annoying? Gah. I personally love adding details; it’s so much fun to write.


	20. Lounge Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin, if I did, no one would be dead.
> 
> A/N
> 
> The original file for this chapter somehow got lost, I honestly don’t know if I just forgot to save it, or if I accidentally deleted it when I was cleaning out/organizing my folders.  
> (also, this fic is now rated E thanks to this chapter //cackles and runs)

**Chapter Nineteen: Lounge Part 4**

Five minutes had gone by since Levi took his place on the wall, outside the bathrooms. To pass the time he glared at the sleek, grey cement flooring, and then decided to check his phone messages, completely ignoring a few advances of seemingly interested persons looking for someone to entertain them for the night. He swiped his thumb across the screen and noticed the missed call and voicemail notification. ‘From mother?’ he quirked his brow, then looked up to check and see if Eren had come out yet, when she hadn’t, he clicked on the icon and listened to the message.

 Soon after he tucked his phone back into his coat pocket, Eren emerged from the bathroom, practically prancing to Levi’s side. She noticed the slight glower on his face and was absolutely determined to rid him of his seemingly perpetual scowl. She looped her arm in his and began to pull him from the wall.

‘He seems a bit preoccupied,’ Eren thought to herself, her arm linked together with Levi’s as she lead him down the hallway. It was almost as if he hadn’t noticed she’d come out, though he wasn’t protesting being lead down the hall to their last destination for the night, he was oddly quiet, as if he were deep in thought.

As they approached end of the hallway, the noise blaring from the last room steadily became more intelligible as the random sounds gradually turned into the energetic beat of music. The sign on the door read, ‘Club Zen,’ in neat calligraphic script, the words were framed with a golden flower design, reminiscent of Japanese cherry blossoms.

Eren felt the blast of the music as she opened the door and led Levi inside. The loud, electronic beats reverberated throughout the room, bouncing off the walls and the bodies that filled the popular space.

The couple made their way through the numerous other bodies that packed this space in The Legion; ‘Club Zen’ was, without a doubt, the most popular of all the rooms that they’d seen that night.

The room itself, was perhaps the most impressive she’d seen yet.              

The focal point of the room lay centered in the back; an enormous golden sculpture of a meditating monk, suspended between the first and second floor as well as two of the large stone pillars that lined the room. It was framed with iron bars, molded into a delicate and simple design made of ovals and angular swirls.

The floors were made of bamboo wood, save for the four corners of the club, which were made out of smooth, black slate tiles. The four corners were sectioned off by large, dark gray ledge-stone pillars, which stretched from the first floor through the second tier and up to the ceiling. On each pillar, there hung oversized sconces; each held four shaded lights that glowed with a golden, almost yellow, light that helped to warm the coldness of the stone. The conjoining ceilings between each pillar were painted a deep, rich red.

The seating areas on the first floor were close together, yet somehow, still privately placed. Two large sofas, covered in complementary burgundy and forest green brocade fabric, sat back to back creating the first section, closest to the entryway. Each sofa had two, to three silk pillows that were either the same bright red as the ceiling or the yellow ochre of the lights. A long black table, complete with three red candles, lit with the warm golden light of a flame, stood at the center of each sitting space. On either side of the table were golden ottoman seats, covered in ochroid silk, similar to the throw pillows on the sofas. Along the length of the black table, to the side opposite the brocade sofa, were three chairs, the seats were wide enough for two people to sit rather closely, but comfortably, in each one. The seats were also covered in the same brocade as the sofa, with alternating burgundy patterns and forest green fabric with golden details.

Each sitting area was composed of the same pieces, the colors alternating depending on the sofa’s color.

Eren wandered further into the crowded space, with Levi now a bit more alert and following closely behind her. They reached the middle of the room and immediately started towards the staircase, in hopes that the second tier was a bit less congested.

Their hopes were nearly crushed when they realized the bar was on the second floor, but upon closer inspection, and the fact that they were able to  walk side by side without bumping into any other bodies, they realized that it was in fact, less crowded.

Chairs, similar to the ones found on the first floor, were scattered in an organized chaos throughout the second tier, and aside from the tall black cocktail tables and red bar stools, they were the only seats.

The couple quickly chose a seat, as far from the bar as they could get. Eren sat first, and eyed Levi, before raising her brow in question. When her silent invitation was declined, rather, ignored, she reached for his hand and pulled him over, “Levi…? Are you okay?” She tried to keep her concerned tone, despite the need to raise her voice so it could be heard over the electronic beats of the trance music that now filled the room.

“I’m fine.” His voice sounded low, almost gruff, “I’m going to get a drink, do you want anything?”

Eren started to shake her head, and then reconsidered, “I’d like one of those Shirley Temples if they have it, if not, just water is fine. Thank you.”

Levi nodded and left without another word, disappearing into the growing crowd of people.

Eren relaxed into the chair, stretching and letting out a pleased sigh as she did so. Her sultry emerald eyes wandered lazily around the room, taking in the oddly relaxing clubbing space. She stood and walked over to the ledge, peering over the tastefully designed iron bars and admiring the view.

As Levi distanced himself from Eren, two other men began their steady approach.

“Hey she’s cute,” the lighter haired male stated, pointing towards Eren’s lone form resting on the railing, overlooking the main club space. His amber eyes lit up momentarily as he saw a busty blonde pass by, but his view was cut off by the large muscular arm that wrapped around her shoulders. “Tch.”

“Yea, I guess, she’s not really my type though,” came the reply from the brunette, “and look at her hands, she’s a minor.”

“So she can’t buy herself a drink, but she’s still legal man. Since when were you ever picky?” His companion shot him a dirty look and rolled his hazel eyes. “Whatever, if you’re not going to ask her out, then I am.”

“I didn’t say that,” the brunette huffed, he ran a hand through his black coffee locks and turned to his fair-haired friend, “just you wait, a few words from me, and she’ll be ours all night.” He smirked and started towards Eren, his friend followed closely by his side.

“Excuse me, are you alone?” Eren continued admiring the view, feigning obliviousness to the fact that one of the two young men who’d just come her way, was speaking to her.

“Maybe she didn’t hear you?” The other man suggested.

Throwing up his hand to silence his friend, the dark-haired male moved closer to Eren, leaning against the railing right next to her to cut off her view from one of the four dance floors. “Excuse me miss,” he started again, this time succeeding in getting her attention.

Eren turned to the source of the voice, and nearly jumped back when she saw just how close its presumed owner was. “Um yes?” she said cautiously.

“My friend and I just couldn’t help but notice you standing over here all alone,” he nodded his head towards the fair-haired man, standing no more than two feet away from them.

“Oh..okay?” Eren raised her brow, skeptical of the two men and their intentions.

“You’re beautiful, and it would be my absolute pleasure to buy you a drink.” The man flashed a set of perfectly straight pearly whites, and raised his brow, in a silent invitation for her to respond to his, not so subtle suggestion.

Before Eren could decline his offer, the other male chimed in, “I’d love to buy you one too doll.” He walked a bit closer and stood to her other side. She was now trapped between the two men and the intricate ironwork of the railing that she was pushing back into.

Eren raised one hand to deter further speech from either male, “Actually, I’m alright.”

Once again she was cut off by smug brunette, “Come on doll, just one drink won’t kill you. I’ll even take you for a spin on the dance floor if you want, I saw you looking at it earlier.” He moved a bit closer, further pinning Eren in their little trap; he then reached out to grip her wrist, pulling her away from the railing.

‘Okay, this polite shit is obviously not working,’ she thought to herself. She closed her eyes and took a breath, then opened them as she released it. Narrowing her eyes, Eren focused her gaze first on the brunette, “Look, I said I was alright, so kindly stop offering. I’m not interested.” She then turned to look pale haired man, “I don’t know if you blockheads realized this, but both of you approaching me at once is weird and creepy.” She momentarily peered over his shoulder to see Levi’s form, rapidly approaching through the, now crowded, space. She smiled to herself and then returned her attention to the brunette, “And to answer your first question, no, I’m not alone.”

“What the hell is with your attitude huh?” The brunette snapped, “It’s always the ones with the cute faces that turn out to have the worst personalities.” He stepped further into Eren’s personal space, getting closer to her face in hopes his insults would sink in further.

“Is there a problem here?” Levi’s voice bellowed from behind the men, catching them both off guard. Eren smirked.

“I don’t think so _dear_ , they misunderstood something and were just leaving,” she turned and locked the brunette with a cold smile, “ _right_?”

The fair-haired male simply shrugged and started to walk away, but the brunette huffed, and then turned to look at Levi. He sized him up, scowling as he stared the shorter male down. With one more annoyed grunt, he turned to Eren and rudely waved her off, “Whatever bitch, have fun with your dwarf.”

Eren narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to demand he retract his insult towards Levi, but Levi had already beat her to the punch, or whatever drink he’d bought for himself. It didn’t really matter now that the clear liquid cascaded down the brunette’s head, staining his jacket and the front of his t-shirt. His eyes widened in surprise, as the liquid dripped from the tips of his hair and down the sides of his face and nose. He turned to look at Eren, his look manic. She stared back at him with an equally shocked expression.

“What the fuck man?” the brunette exclaimed, anger evident in his tone.

Levi lowered himself from standing on the tip of his toes, and then set the, now empty glass, on a nearby side table. He reached in front of the man, and handed Eren her drink, then pulled her to his side, and away from the man and his gawking companion.

“Apologize.” Was Levi’s only response.

“Huh? Dude are you insane, you just dumped your drink on me, you fucking get on your knees and apologize to me asshole-”

Levi jerked him down by the collar of his shirt and brought him to his eye level. “I said, apologize.”

“For wha-”

“You said something rude to her; now apologize before I throw your sorry ass over this railing.”

“You’re crazy, let go of me, you’re stretching my shirt!” The brunette struggled to free himself from Levi’s vice-like grip.

Without another word, Levi pulled the man by his collar and bent him over the railing, effectively scaring the shit, well, at least a little piss out of him.

Eren reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder, hoping to calm him down, “Levi it’s okay-”

“Okay, whatever man, I’m sorry I touched your girl and I take back what I said, just let me go you psycho.”

That wasn’t quite what he was looking for, but at least he took back his insult towards Eren. He pulled the man back and released him, allowing the brunette to stand back at his natural height. The two men hurried towards the crowd, quickly disappearing into the sea of bodies that filled the club.

“Hey…” Eren placed her hand back on his shoulder, “Levi…?”

He remained facing away for a moment before he turned to face her. “We should leave now. Those idiots will probably try and file an assault complaint.”

“Right, we should, we’ve been here for a while anyway.” Eren tried to smile reassuringly, but Levi never looked at her face. He simply started walking back towards the staircase to get out as quickly as possible. He slowed his pace to peer over his shoulder, and stopped walking when he saw Eren handing her, still full drink, to one of the men passing out drinks on the first floor. She nodded politely and thanked the man before hurrying to join Levi as they neared the exit.

* * *

They sat at another stop light, its scarlet glow, glaring angrily against the black sky and darkened lanes.

Eren spoke first, “So what was all that about?”

“Hmm?” Levi responded as the light turned from red to green and he took off down the empty street.

Eren turned to face him, annoyance evident in her tone, “I’m asking what’s wrong with you? You’ve been acting oddly since we left ‘The Boudoir’.”

“Have I?” Levi sped up.

“Really…? You’re saying that.” Eren rolled her eyes, vexation dripping from her words. ‘Calm down Eren, he’s obviously bothered by something, don’t make it worse.’ She took a deep breath and leaned back into the cool, black leather seat. “If you want to talk about it, then go ahead, I’m listening.”

“There’s nothing…” he let out a sigh as they reached another stop light, “I got a message from my mother earlier.” He paused to look at Eren.

“And…?” She persisted.

“She’s set up a series of dinner dates for me without my permission and is hell bent on me going.” The light turned green and he sped down the street, ignoring the speed limit, and easily going twenty over, “She’s apparently tired of waiting for me to settle down, so she’s taken the initiative to find someone for me.”

“W-what..? An arranged marriage in this day and age?” Eren stared incredulously at Levi, the car continued to accelerate.

“No, it’s nothing that serious, though I wouldn’t past her to try and set me up for one.” A bitter laugh escaped his lips.

“I see,” Eren paused a moment to think, “I still don’t get how that made you upset, why not just tell her that you’re not interested or that you have other plans?”

“If it were that simple we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.”

Eren scrunched her brows, “And what makes this situation so complicated?”

Levi slowed down as they neared a stop sign, he glanced to the side and bluntly answered, “You.”

“Huh…? How do you figure that?” Annoyance was evident in her tone.

“I wouldn’t have any problem indulging my mother’s useless meddling if you weren’t in the picture. But the fact remains, that so long as we both have feelings for each other, you’ll still be in it for a while longer.” Levi let a small smirk spread on his face. “I’m actually more upset with myself,” they’d reached Eren’s complex, he pulled into the underground lot and parked his coupe as close to the elevator as he could, “I still haven’t told my parents about you. To be perfectly honest, I never planned on telling them,” He turned to look at Eren, whose face remained blank, “I never thought that we would ever go anywhere…the possibility that I’d seriously start to fall for you never even crossed my mind.”

“Levi… I-” Eren stopped and turned to face forward in her seat, her hands rested in her lap as she processed his words. “So basically…you’re saying that you expected me to be a quick fling, with little to no strings attached.” She turned and looked him directly in the eye, “But you’ve changed your mind.”

“Your extrapolation skills have improved; you should thank your literature professor.” Levi smirked, his eyes lit up a moment before his mask of impassivity returned.

Eren rolled her eyes and laughed. “I’ll be sure to add that to my list of things to do.”

Levi chuckled lightly, "Make sure you do.” He paused a moment and studied her face, the tan of her sparsely blemished skin, the way her lashes fluttered when she blinked, the perfect line of her nose and the plump curves of her lips. His eyes wandered back to hers, those large, luminescent orbs that he wouldn’t mind losing himself in. In the dim light of the underground parking garage, they seemed darker, less of their usual emerald color and more of the blue of a sapphire. They truly were gems. “The date is set for March 8th. The weekend spring break starts.” Levi paused to search her eyes for a moment.

“Is that your way of asking for permission to go date other women?” Eren raised a brow quizzically.

“No, I’m not asking you for permission to do anything.” He continued on. “I’m asking, well, what I want to ask is, would you go with me? To meet my parents that is, I’m obviously not going to be dating anyone aside from you anytime soon.” He watched as light blush took residence on her cheeks while he waited for her answer.

“You…you want me to meet your parents? Really...are you sure?” She squeezed her hands tighter in her lap.

Levi reached across the console and grasped her tightly clasped hands, he gently massaged the tension from her fingers and pulled her hand to his lap, intertwining their fingers, and holding her hand reassuring as he spoke his reply, “There are very few things that I’ve been more certain about.” He pulled her hand upwards, and placed a light kiss to her knuckles. “You don’t have to answer me now, and the choice is yours Eren. Either way, that weekend I’ll be going home to visit my parents and whether you’re with me or not, I’m going to tell them about you… and about-”

Eren leaned over the console and planted her lips firmly against Levi’s, effectively cutting off his verbal planning. She broke the kiss for a moment, murmuring, “Yes, I’ll go,” against his mouth before pressing back with a tender force.

Levi smiled against her lips when heard her words, he opened his eyes momentarily, in hopes that he’d be met with his favorite view, but Eren’s eyes remained closed. Without breaking their slow, sensual kiss, Levi searched for the lever on the side of his seat and pulled it up, giving him more space for his next move. Reluctantly, he pulled away and coaxed Eren towards him, once she was settled comfortably on his lap, straddling his hips, her little black dress hiked up higher on the sides, exposing more of her exquisitely tanned thighs, he dove back in, intent on claiming her luscious, plump lips for his own once again.

After a few more playful kisses were exchanged, Levi slipped his tongue out and licked along her bottom lip, ‘She tastes like a cherry,’ he thought, pulling the delicate skin between his lips. As he sucked on her bottom lip, earning satisfied moan in exchange, he opened his eyes once more and was met with a wild, dark aventurine view, he ran his hand through her hair and pushed lightly on the back of her neck, coaxing her mouth open and deepening the kiss further. 

His other hand ran playfully up and down her back, over her hips, and then firmly settled on her waist, positioning her body closer to his. It took all the self-control he had learned over his years of college and on into graduate school, to restrain himself from bucking his hips into hers to try and satisfy his growing need with some much desired friction.

When Levi pulled her closer to him, she most definitely felt his hard-on, it was a little _too hard_ to miss. Eren panicked for a moment, mentally preparing herself for a next step if there was going to be one, all the while hoping that he didn’t pick up on her nervous energy and hesitation.

Eren cursed mentally when she felt Levi’s tongue slipping out of her mouth, and his hand leaving her neck to rest on her waist, ‘Damn it, he noticed.’

She followed his lead, and pulled back, albeit, unwillingly, and took the break to catch her breath.

“Huh-Eren,” Levi’s chest rose and fell as he started to catch his own breath, "Are you alright? I felt you tense up, is something wrong?”

A faint pink had settled on Levi’s cheeks, and Eren was more than delighted that she was the cause of it, “N-no, I’m fine,” she paused and slid herself further back in his lap, settling in the middle of his thighs, “but you look like you’re having a hard time,” she smirked as his blush deepened.

“How kind of you to notice,” Levi replied sarcastically, wanting desperately to undo the zipper of his slacks and free himself from the fabric restraints.

Eren smiled and leaned forward to plant a quick kiss to his lips before returning to her previous position. “Would you like a little help with that?” she asked smarmily, pointing down to the bulge between Levi’s legs.

Despite the blush, Levi managed to school his features back to their normal, impassive position, and reply with his usual, sarcastic humor, “And what makes you think you could help me?”

Eren countered with sass, and sarcasm sodden words, “Well, seeing as I _caused_ it, I think I could manage somehow.”

Levi smirked, “Touché,” his smirk faded as she began to reach for his zipper, he noticed the darkened blush on her cheeks, that stretched all the way to the tips of her ears, and despite the playful confidence that her words exuded, he could see the tremble in her hands as they unlatched his trouser button and then started on his zipper. With a serious expression on his face, Levi removed a hand from Eren’s waist and stilled her own, shaking appendages, “You don’t have to Eren, you look nervous, it’s alright. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

Eren shut her eyes tightly for a moment as she took a breath. Levi felt the shaking in her hands still. She opened her eyes and looked squarely into Levi’s eyes, now reminiscent of  darkened winter sky, “I know I don’t have to…but I want to…I want to make you feel good Levi…so please, let me do this?”

The determination that shone through her gems was more than enough to silence Levi’s thoughts of reluctance and that he was forcing her into situations that she wasn’t ready for. She was not being forced, Eren wanted this as much as he did, and he wasn’t about to protest being pleasured by the perfect, and incredibly sexy young woman straddling his lap. While she was usually just irresistibly cute, tonight, Levi had learned of a whole new side of Eren that he could not wait to explore.

“Alright, but if you get uncomfortable, let me know and we’ll stop.”

Having been granted his permission, Eren finished pulling down the zipper to his pants and slowly slid her hand between the sleek, acrylic and wool blend of his trouser pants and the soft cotton of his boxers. She stilled her hand and looked up when she heard a soft grunt from Levi, an apology already on the tip of her tongue. Her heart pounded in her chest as adrenaline filled her system, she was so nervous; she’d never really thought about touching a man before, let alone pleasuring one. Within a matter of seconds, Eren realized that the softened sounds escaping Levi’s slightly parted lips, were noises of pleasure, noises she was determined to hear more of. With renewed confidence, Eren continued to run her fingers along Levi’s still clothed erection, alternating between feather light touches and full on strokes.

“Nngh…” Levi grunted again and sighed when Eren pulled her hand away. His breathing had sped up, and the faint blush that dusted his cheeks had darkened from a salmon to a deep, dusk rose, “How long exactly…do you plan on teasing me like this?”

Eren couldn’t help but smirk at his expression, this was the most vulnerable state she’d ever seen him in, and the control he’d granted her was something she felt she’d definitely get used to. Before he could voice further complaints about her methods, she slipped her fingers past front slit in the contour of his boxers and finally freed his straining member. She pressed forward and captured Levi’s parted lips and took advantage of his distraction to slip her tongue and explore his mouth as he’d done so many times to hers. She mimicked his movements as best as memory could serve, sliding along his hard palate and playfully flicking the soft palate of his mouth’s roof before engaging his enthusiastic and active muscle in a wrestling match, one that was quickly won, for once, by Eren, aided by a quick flick of her thumb over the head of his leaking phallus.

She smiled slyly against his mouth, and pressed her body closer to his as she continued her slow, but steady pace with her finger tips. Levi began to buck up against her hand, desperate for more, faster, and harder friction to relieve the slowly building pressure in his abdomen. He busied his hands by running them up and down Eren’s lace covered back, squeezing her bare, smooth thighs, and tangling his hands in her soft chocolate tresses. He’d almost forgotten they were in his car. In his car with Eren grinding against him in his lap while her hands worked teasingly to jerk him off, in a semi-public place, in the parking garage, below her apartments. _Oh, right. Indecent exposure is a crime isn’t it?_

Levi’s thoughts on the legalities of their situation all but flew out of his mind when Eren’s teasing pumping, sped up to a more vigorous pace. His pre-cum helped aid in the speed increase by adding some much needed lubrication to the sexual process.

Eren broke the kiss by pulling back to catch her breath, she may have been able to take charge of their first sexual experience together, but she was still quite lacking in stamina. Levi took advantage of her inexperience and leaned forward to kiss along her chin, leaving slow, sloppy kisses from her jaw line and down to the expanse of her neck that wasn’t covered by the high collar of her black dress. He pulled at the fabric obscuring her neckline and latched onto her neck, intent on leaving a mark that she’d be forced to cover up and that he’d be proud to see blossoming the next several days. He bit down on the sensitive flesh, earning a surprised yelp from Eren and, much to his chagrin, a pause in her fervent movement, ‘So close, just a little more,’ he licked and sucked on the spot to both soothe, and set  his mark on her neck as he finished staking his claim on her body.

Eren’s movements began again, returning to the zealous pace she’d been at before Levi latched onto her neck. He hissed when she ran her thumb atop the hypersensitive tip of the engorged flesh, she continued this movement, alternating the speed and pressure by pumping him with her fingertips and her fist until he couldn’t take it any more of the sweet, pleasurable toying.

“E-Eren,” Levi’s voice was labored but held a warning tone in it.

She leaned down and captured his lips once more, closing her eyes as her pumping pace increased. She felt his cock quiver and stiffen more for a moment before her hands were coated in a thicker, stickier fluid than the previous clear substance that she’d used as a lubricant while she massaged him.

Both panting heavily with light beads of perspiration running down the sides of their faces and the backs of their necks, Levi and Eren came down from their chemically induced highs, Levi from his serotonin, and Eren from her adrenaline rush.

Without speaking, Levi instructed Eren to give him more space for movement with a look, and a few simple gestures.

Eren obeyed his silent order and slid back to give him the space to reach into his center console, after rummaging for a few moments, he produced pack of tissues and a small package of wet wipes. He quickly got to work on cleaning himself and Eren, wiping away the evidence of his whitetish, sticky essence from her hands. Once he deemed them both clean enough, he tucked himself back into his trousers and reached up to plant one more, long, sensual kiss to Eren’s swollen lips.

“That was incredible Eren, you did great,” he hoped his words of encouragement would help calm the rapid pulse he felt from the hand cupping her chin affectionately.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” she smiled shyly and pulled herself flush against him in a tender hug, hiding her face in the crook of his neck.

Levi chuckled at how quickly the assertive and sexually dominant side of Eren had all but vanished as the sweet, easily embarrassed, and still incredibly irresistible side had taken her place.  He placed a kiss on her head and mumbled against her scalp, “We should be getting to bed soon don’t you think?”

Eren shook her head while still wrapped tightly in his arms, “It’s not that late is it?”

“It’s almost 2 AM, it’s way past time for good girls to go to sleep.”

“Are you seriously trying to guilt trip me into going to bed right now?”

“I’m not trying to do anything, I’m merely suggesting, that for a young, healthy woman such as yourself, that sleep is very important and should be had in a regular, somewhat regimented schedule. I don’t want to be held responsible for drops in your performance in school or at work.”

Eren pulled back and rested both hands on Levi’s shoulders. “You just killed the mood. Fine, I get it, I’m going to bed now.” She started to slide back from Levi’s lap and waited for him to open the door so she could hop out of the seat.

Levi couldn’t hold in his pleased laughed, not with how incredibly relaxed and content he felt. He opened the door and helped her off his lap and onto the stained concrete ground of the parking garage. Her adjustments to her mini-dress, which had hiked up enough to expose the bottom of her ass and the white lace of her panties, which would have been incredibly arousing to Levi had he not just been pleasured by the hands that hurried to cover the reddened cheeks.

She abruptly turned and shot him a charmed glower, playfully daring him to continue his amusement at her expense. She soon joined his deep chuckles with stifled giggles of her own until they’d both laughed themselves sore.

Eren leaned down and kissed Levi one last time before she straightened and put her hand on the opened car door to shut it, “Goodnight, this weekend was wonderful Levi.”

She smiled sweetly and moved to close the door, but was stopped by Levi’s hand pushing against it, “Want me to walk you to your apartment?”

Eren shook her head, “No, you’ve done enough for me already,” she grinned, “besides, as you said, it’s late and this good girl needs to get some sleep.”

Levi smiled and nodded, waving her off as she closed the door and started towards the elevator. He started his engine and rolled down the window, “Goodnight Eren, sleep well. Text me before you fall asleep.” He could hear her laughing as she waved and entered the elevator. Once she’d vanished behind the metal door of the machine, Levi turned to search for his phone. Within seconds, his screen lit up. The icon was of Eren, one of the first pictures he’d snapped before they began their strange relationship.

  **[Received 2:14 AM] Eren :** _Yes sir. :P_

Levi could practically hear the sarcasm as he read her text. He set his phone on the passenger seat, buckled up, then zipped out of the parking garage, feeling far too elated to sleep, while simultaneously feeling impossibly relaxed as he neared his complex. Tonight had shown him a new side to Eren he’d not yet seen, one that he definitely could not wait to explore further, and learn more about the multifaceted young woman who he’d been so very fortunate to meet. All thoughts of his mother’s meddling, and the possibility that his ex-fiancé, though they were still good friends, could be among the women chosen for the dates, had all but left his mind. As he prepared for bed, his thoughts were filled with fantasies of those eerily luminescent green eyes, and of the tanned, tone, and in his mind, incredibly lithe young woman. He wondered what color they’d be while she bounced on his hips, consumed with pleasure and ecstasy.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> What do you think of my first ever smut scene? Boring, awful, derpy, stupid, silly, sexy, funny, amusing, impartial, anything?
> 
> Casual hand job slips are casual. You’re welcome. Like I told you, this fic practically writes itself. Also, if that was a little too stiff and anatomical for you, then I apologize (I really did try and edit most of it out), I’m a chemistry major with a minor in biology, so science happens sometimes (and that’s also why my writing skill is lacking, it’s definitely not one of my strong points).
> 
> Fun fact! The pickup scene is mini-compilation of pick-ups that have happened to me in the past half year. 2014 has been a disturbing strange year thus far. Valentine’s Day had to be the best though, my friends and I were in WalMart and this guy (complete stranger mind you), quite literally, rolled up to me in a handicap shopping cart, gave me flowers, and told me he loved me (in front of all my friends too). He continued down the aisle, then turned and came back to confess his ‘love’ for me once more before he and his friends proceeded to follow my friends and I through the next few aisles til we finally lost them. Ah. Good times. Moral of the story, don’t go to WalMart after midnight kids.
> 
> Sayonara til next update~


	21. Sleepover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morning after, some awkwardness, tension, and the beauty of friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin, if I did, no one would be dead.

**Chapter 19.5: Sleepover**

The incessant beeping of the alarm clock sounded throughout the room; its monotonous noise finally succeeded in rousing its owner. Eren groaned and popped her head out from under her messy excuse of a bed, she reached her arm out in search of the offending device, hoping in her half-asleep haze that she would manage to find it and silence its ringing.

After several failed attempts at hitting the snooze button, she finally succeeded and let her head fall back against her pillow, hoping to catch the last few minutes of sleep that she could before she got up and made her way to the shower.

At the sounding of the clock again, she forced herself up and out of bed, sleepily stumbling towards her bathroom, ready, though not thrilled about waking up in a too cool, stream of water.

While the tepid shower chased away any remnants of sleep that remained in her mind, Eren thought back to the past weekend and her previous night. The wonderful, romantic, and fun weekend she’d shared with Levi, filled with so many experiences she’d never thought she’d get to have. The cozy dinner, the incredible club, and not to mention the intimacy. She felt her face heating up at the thought, ‘How am I going to face him today, I-I cannot even believe that I did that…but he enjoyed it right?’ she shook her head to bury the image of a flushed and panting Levi being pleasured underneath her ministrations and turned the handle from warm to cold, hoping to fully shake the fantasies from her head. ‘I have class; I can’t keep fantasizing about him.’ She mentally prepared herself and once her shivering body could no longer handle the cold abuse, she stopped the stream and prepared for the day ahead of her.

* * *

Levi sat in his usual spot outside Eren’s complex, he was glad she didn’t have work, otherwise last night might not have ended on such a high note. He closed his eyes after sending a quick, ‘I’m here,’ text and let his mind wander back to the incredibly inviting gutter it’d been in for past several days. Moments later, he heard the familiar text notification he’d set up just for Eren, and glanced at the bright screen to see her response. Not long after, she emerged from the building, and Levi couldn’t help the small grin as she hurried to the passenger side. That seductive little deviant from the night before had all but vanished as his easily flustered and incredibly fun to tease girlfriend returned. Her hair was down; the front sections fashioned in a messy, but purposely so, braid that acted as a headband, while the fringe was left to freely flow in the brisk late morning breeze. Levi’s small grin widened into an amused smirk when Eren finally got into the car, the breeze had mussed her hair just enough.

“Morning.” Eren quickly said, settling in and resting her bag between her legs before she buckled herself in. She paused, a little shocked by the hand brushing through her hair, putting her unruly locks back into a more presentable position.

“Good morning.” Levi retracted his hand and shifted the gear from park, to drive, “Sleep well?” he questioned, letting a soft chuckle out and glancing over at Eren to give a final once over before he started towards the campus.

“Y-yes, um, did you? Sleep well I mean.” She mentally slapped herself, ‘Damn it Eren, calm down. It’s just Levi.’ she sighed and hoped the anxious stutter wasn’t as obvious as it sounded.

“I slept very well,” he paused and turned to her at a stop sign, “thanks to you of course.” He just couldn’t help himself. She was obviously nervous about their previous actions, but all the sincerity in her responses were too genuine not to crave.

“Well that’s good.” Eren’s nervous laughter filled the car, followed by silence, for the rest of the short ride to the university.

When they arrived on campus grounds, Levi took longer than usual searching for a spot in the faculty parking lot. He finally settled for a space, further back than he would normally choose, it was secluded, almost hidden by two large trees. They sat in a short silence, until Eren realized he’d parked and started shuffling around to get out the vehicle. Before she opened the door, Levi spoke, “I have a meeting this evening, and I’ll be participating as guest in an extra lecture tonight, will you be okay getting home on your own?”

The question caught Eren off guard. “Huh? Oh, um yea, it’s no problem. Thanks for letting me know.” She opened the door and was halfway out of the car, “I promised Mikasa and Armin that I’d have lunch with them today too, since I didn’t see them all weekend…so I guess, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Levi looked over and watched as she exited his coupe, “Mm. Tomorrow morning then.”

Eren nodded and smiled before closing the door and heading towards the coffee lounge to meet up with Armin.

On mornings like this, when he’d pick her up from her apartment, they’d decided to walk separately, so as not to draw too much attention to themselves while on campus grounds. Much to Levi’s surprise, it was Eren who’d suggested it a few weeks ago. She really did try and keep their relationship as low-key as possible, especially while he was on the clock. Save for a few coffee breaks, office visits, or lunches, they hardly ever saw each other, and rarely ever broke out of their usual routines to seek the other out. Once he’d lost sight of her retreating form, Levi rolled his shoulders back and let out a sigh. He grabbed his briefcase and phone, and then headed towards his office.

By the time he was settled at his desk, the previous sense of peace he’d had when Eren was next to him had all but dissipated, replaced instead with unpleasant thoughts of having to return to his parent’s home and how undoubtedly useless and annoying this afternoon’s events would be.

He sighed and took out his phone, searched through his most recent contacts and quickly typed out, then sent a message.

 **[Sent 9:34 AM] :** _Text me when you’re home. Have a good day._

It was strange to him, caring about someone after so many years of focusing solely on his own well being; he sincerely hoped he wasn’t coming off as overbearing or controlling. He really wanted to make sure she was okay, and the thought of her using public transportation alone was enough to make him nervous, reports of assaults or disturbances weren’t that frequent, but with Eren’s luck, she’d be one of the few unfortunates to have a run-in with some idiotic or bored miscreant looking for a little thrill to pass the time. He dismissed any unpleasant thoughts from his head and slipped his phone back into his jacket pocket; it was time for work, and his personal affairs needed to be pushed aside while he was on duty. He popped open his briefcase and began searching through the meticulously organized files; he pulled out his graded papers for his first class then began to go over the notes for the day’s lecture.

* * *

Eren sincerely hoped Armin’s Monday routine hadn’t changed while she walked towards the coffee lounge. She took a quick breath as she rounded the corner, eyes scanning the crowd for the familiar golden head of hair. She smiled when she spotted him; book in one hand with his coffee cup in the other.

“Good morning,” Eren sat in the chair across from his oblivious form, no matter his age, this boy was always able to get lost in his reading. ‘You haven’t changed one bit,’ she thought to herself, smiling while she rested her head on her hand.

“G-good morning Eren! Sorry, I didn’t notice you coming over.” He smiled brightly and lowered the book, marking his place and setting it down on the table. “How was your weekend?” Armin gave his full attention to her.

Eren chuckled and let her hands rest in her lap, “It was…well, eventful to say the least. Yours?” This was what she needed. Familiarity and comfort, not that she didn’t feel comfortable around Levi, it’s just, she didn’t really know him all that well. But that’s what a relationship is about right? Getting to know one another as individuals; learning about them up close and personal, it’s like a really strong and special sort of friendship, one that evolved from feelings of romantic origins rather than mutual interests or desires for simple, platonic companionship.

Armin’s bright blue eyes lit up, despite the bags under them, when he heard, ‘eventful,’ he leaned forward in his seat slightly, silently granting Eren the floor. “It was fun, nothing too out the ordinary. Spent time with everyone on campus for a while, then Jean, Marco, Mikasa and I left for dinner and a movie. Simple, innocent fun.”

Eren flinched at the mention of ‘innocent fun,’ and mentally slapped herself when she saw the wide grin on Armin’s face. “So…” he started again, “eventful you say? Care to share any details?” He winked and his grin grew wider.

If she could, she would have gladly reached over and smacked Armin in the head for his teasing. ‘It’s too early for this shit.’ She sighed and settled for stealing his coffee and a giving him swift, but gentle, kick to the shin under the table.

He kept quiet about the kick and didn’t protest his stolen caffeine, he’d have another one soon enough, but his smile did shrink a fraction. “Was is really that bad?” Armin’s voice quickly morphed from playful to concerned.

Eren looked up and noticed the faint slant of his brows, shaking her head she answered, “No no, that’s not, it at all. It was…amazing actually. Dare I even say perfect. He’s perfect, almost too perfect, and it took me till this morning to figure that out…so now I don’t know. When I see him, my heart flutters and I get nervous, but at the same time, I get really excited. I mean he’s never been mean or rude to me, well not on purpose anyway, but I just can’t help but feel intimidated around him for some reason. I’m sure it’s all mental but I can’t help it.” She sighed and took a sip of the stolen coffee, “I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore.”

Armin quickly surveyed the area and realized that it was getting a bit too crowded for such a sensitive conversation, he started to gather his things and stood, inviting Eren to go with him, but not before assuring that she got him another coffee to replace the stolen one.

* * *

They now sat in Armin’s dorm room; his roommate had already left for class, so they had the space all to themselves.

 “When we first met and even after this all began, there was a comfortable, almost unspoken distance. It was…safe. As we spent more time together, I couldn’t help but want closer. But…”

“But?”

“But, now that I’m actually closer, I’m scared. I don’t know what to do; I’ve never been in a serious relationship before. What if I do something wrong or I completely repulse him or embarrass myself or even him in front of his family…” Eren groaned and buried her face in her hands as she flopped down on Armin’s bed.

Armin chuckled a little at her display while the information processed. “You’re already meeting his parents? That’s a little hasty don’t you think.” The way he said it wasn’t meant to be a question.

Eren sighed into his pillow and nodded slowly, “He was even reluctant to tell me about it, apparently his mother thinks he’s been single long enough and has taken it upon herself to find him a ‘suitable mate.’”

“Oh, so he has that type of mom. Sounds rough. Though that explains why he’s a little tough to talk to at times.”

“Talk to? You’ve talked to him before?” Eren sounded surprised, though she’d momentarily forgotten the most obvious drawback to their relationship, his status as a professor and hers as a student.

Armin shook his head, “Yes princess, I have talked to Professor. Ackerman. You seem to be forgetting that before he was your boyfriend, he was, and still is an incredibly adept professor here. Don’t worry about it too much though. If he’s there, I’m sure he won’t let anything too bad happen to you.”

Eren simply stuck her tongue out and let a small laugh escape.

Armin continued, “He’s been, well, different lately. More understanding and patient. It’s nice, and I know it’s all thanks to you Eren. Have more confidence in yourself, he likes you, for you, so don’t think you have to act a certain way or portray yourself any differently in front of his parents. If they’re even a little bit like him, I’m sure they’ll fall in love with you too.” He reached out a hand and ran it across the back of her head. “Now come on, we should grab some breakfast before class starts.”

Eren pushed herself up and smiled, leaning forward for a hug, “Thanks Armin, I don’t know what I would do without you.”

He smiled and hugged her tightly before pulling back, “What are friends for, if not to encourage you…or tell you that your hair is wrecked.” He laughed, running his hands back over the unruly locks.

“Damn it,” Eren’s hands shot up to try and fix the issues. “I ran out of conditioner so now I’m suffering for it.”

Armin simply laughed as he moved across the room to find his own hairbrush, he threw it to Eren. She caught it and started towards the sink, hoping to tame her wild tresses.

Once she managed to fight the tangles and fly aways with minimal amounts of sink water and a little of Marco’s leave-in-conditioner, the duo started towards the cafeteria, intent on filling their stomachs before classes began.

“So,” Armin began, once they’d gotten settled at a table, “want to stay over tonight? Mikasa will be thrilled and I’m sure Krista won’t mind. We can go for a supply run too if you want.” He pointed to his hair and laughed at Eren’s expression, reading it as a playful but no less threatening, ‘I’m so done with your shit.’

“That actually sounds great. I’ve missed you guys.” Eren grinned and started attacking her pancakes, followed not long after by Armin diving into his omelet.

* * *

 

“Why is _he_ here?” Eren grumbled into Armin’s shoulder, silently praying that Mikasa would return from the bathroom and reclaim the open spot next to her. They were sitting comfortably squished on one of two sofas in the commons area, Marco, Annie, Bert, and Reiner were sitting somewhat less clustered on the other, while Armin, Eren, Mikasa, Krista and Ymir were taking up the largest, centermost couch, and were enjoying a replay of The Avengers before Armin paused the movie when a few of the girls got up to take a bathroom break.

“Come on Eren, we couldn’t exactly, un-invite him…he kind of lives in this dorm too.” Armin spoke quietly, secretly hoping Jean would choose to sit on the other sofa with Marco and the trio, since they seemed to be getting along well lately.

He didn’t of course.

He plopped himself in right in between Eren and Krista, putting his arm up behind Eren’s head and smirking at her obvious displeasure with the new seating arrangement.

“It’s been a while Yeager, what’s new?”

Eren rolled her eyes and moved in a bit closer to Armin, glad that the cover they shared was only big enough for two. When she didn’t reply immediately, Armin nudged her in the side, forcing, rather, encouraging her active participation in socializing. She shot him a quick glower before turning her attention to Jean, “Not much. Just hanging. What about you Jean?”

“Well since you asked,” Eren tried not to groan, “I was recently asked by the coach if I was interested in being co-captain next semester.”

“Hmm, that’s nice.”

Jean’s grin widened, “So I talked with the current captain and co-captain about it, and they’ve agreed that I would make a great team leader.”

“Wow Jean, that’s really great,” Armin spoke up, trying to cover for Eren’s obvious lack of interest. He offered a bright smile and laughed, lightly nudging Eren under their shared cover.

“Yea, I’m happy for you, congratulations…doesn’t that mean you’ll be busier though? Like too busy to hang out with us all the time?” Eren sounded a bit too hopeful and Armin wanted to smack his face at her obvious change in tone.

“Hmm, I guess. But don’t worry too much; I’m sure I’ll still find time for you if you really want.” Jean winked and Eren snorted, choosing to bury her face further in Armin’s shoulder. Mikasa and Ymir returned from the bathroom, Ymir’s glare was all that was needed for Jean to scoot closer to Eren so she could take her place next to Krista. Instead of prying Jean away, Mikasa simply shot him a heated look, silently daring him to try anything and quietly squeezed in next to Annie.

Armin resumed the movie and they were all relatively comfortable until Jean leaned a bit closer to Eren to whisper in her ear. She stiffened when she felt his body pressing against hers and instinctively pulled closer to Armin. “So how’re things between you and Professor Short Stack?”

If looks could kill, Jean’s autopsy would have revealed multiple stab wounds and the cause of death would have been a swift blow to the head by a blunt object. But since she couldn’t actually murder him with her eyes alone, Eren chose to give him quick side kick and push his arm away from her vicinity.

“Damn. Is he that bad?” The amusement in his voice was still too apparent, despite the groan of pain that was quickly shushed by the other occupants of the room.

Eren leaned over and whispered quickly, “Can you not bring this up right now? How do you even know…wait never mind, I don’t care.”

Another, “Shh,” resounded through the room and Eren flinched when she saw Ymir’s sharp eyes focusing on her. She stuck her tongue out and retreated back, hoping Ymir took that as playful and not a challenge. The last thing she needed was to be cornered in the girls’ bathroom at midnight or when she woke up in the morning. ‘Oh, shit, I forgot to tell Levi I wasn’t going home tonight…’

Eren shuffled a bit and managed to pull herself out of the warm buddle of blankets and bodies; she offered Armin a silent apology and indicated that he could keep the movie playing while she walked out of the darkened room and out onto the patio of the boy’s dorm. She cursed when she saw the time, ‘Damn, please don’t be asleep…and if you are, please don’t wake up,’ she typed out her message and sent it quickly, hoping that a professors sleeping habits were just as wrecked as a student’s were. She was so focused on her phone that she didn’t hear the slowly approaching form, until he was practically on top of her.

Eren took a step back when she saw him and swore, “Shit Jean, you scared the hell out of me.”

He put up his hands defensively and took a step back, clearly apologetic; he hadn’t intended to scare her. “Sorry, didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

Eren shook her head dismissively, “It’s alright. So, what’s up.”

“Huh?”

Eren deadpanned. “I mean what did you want? Surely you didn’t follow me out here to ensure my safe return to the lounge.” She actually smiled a little, but it quickly faded when the chilly nighttime breeze hit her thinly clothed form.

“I-” Jean started, walking a little closer, “I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I don’t know why I said those things, I guess it’s just me being a sore loser.”

Eren’s eyes widened at the unexpected apology, she stared at Jean as if he were offering to pay for her college tuition. “W-wait, what? You…you’re apologizing…to me…for being an ass?”

“Well shit, if you’re gonna be like that, then I’ll just take it back.” He nervously scratched the back of his head, the hurt masked, but still apparent in his voice.

“No, sorry, I just wasn’t…well expecting an apology. From you…ever. Um, thanks I guess. Really.” Eren tried her best to smile, hoping her sincerity behind accepting the apology overrode her disbelief in the situation. “So…was that all?” Everyone deserved a second chance right?

“Actually, I’m still curious about you and Prof. Ackerman, if you’re willing to share that is.”

No. Definitely not. Some people just didn’t change.

Eren sighed and looked up at him, sizing him up in the dim light emitted from the cheap patio lights. “I mean it’s not like it’s a secret or anything, I…no we, just don’t want a lot of attention. So I’m warning you now, anything I say is strictly between me and you and if I find out you’re spreading any shitty rumors I swear I’ll wear my highest pair of heels and kick you so hard in the ass that you’ll taste it. And once you’re down I’ll grind that heel so far into your hand you won’t be able to write for a month.” She’d backed him up into the door, her face just a few inches from his until she finished her threat and backed away to a more comfortable distance.

“Was that supposed to turn me on or…?” Jean raised a suggestive brow and smirked, either unaffected by Eren’s threat or feigning smugness to hide the fact that he was about to shit himself, Eren sincerely hoped it was the latter and proceeded to file through the most innocent bits of information she could share to satisfy his obsession.

“Well, we’re doing just fine. He’s honestly perfect, I can’t really think of anything to complain about.” She looked to Jean, waiting for his response, ‘That was vague enough right?’

“So you actually like him or are you more interested in the perks of having a sugar daddy?”

Eren had to stop herself from rolling her eyes and burying her face in her hands, ‘Of course he would think that.’ “He’s not my ‘sugar daddy,’ it’s nothing like that at all. We’re just a normal couple, he just happens to be a bit older and at a more stable point in life than I am. There’s nothing wrong with that is there? No, don’t answer that.” She held up her hand to silence him, “The point is, I like him, he seems to like me and we’re content with our relationship. It honestly has nothing to do with you so I don’t understand why you’re so hung up on it.” Her words came out a bit harsher than she intended, but it’s not like they were untrue. This was between Levi and herself, not her and Jean, and certainly not Levi and Jean.

Jean sighed and leaned against the door, his eyes were averted from Eren’s when he spoke, “I just…damn I don’t know, I just wanted to make sure that he wasn’t using you…like bribing you with grades or expensive shit or something like that.”

‘Wait…he’s actually concerned. Jean. The same jackass who tried to feel me up the first time we met is genuinely...concerned for me…?’ Eren couldn’t help the small smile or laugh that escaped as she answered, “First off, he’s not even my professor, so there’s no way he could bribe me with grades; I just want to make that crystal clear. We hardly even talk about school when we’re together. Second, why would you think he’s using me? That doesn’t make sense; wouldn’t it be more logical for me to use him? He’s the rich one. If you hadn’t noticed already, I can’t even afford my own car yet.”

A look of relief quickly passed over Jean’s features, and his shoulders, which were visibly tense before, slumped slightly, like he’d heard something reassuring or calming. Then that smug-ass look that Eren was growing used to, but still held a healthy distaste for, returned, “Why wouldn’t he be using you? If _you_ hadn’t already noticed, to put it bluntly, you’re a hot young piece of ass; he’d be…no anyone would be crazy not to want to be seen with you. I’m only going to say this once, for your own good, and I’m not trying to boost your ego or anything, but Eren, you’re seriously one of the prettiest girls I’ve ever seen. And trust me, I see a lot of hot babes, but like I said, you’re young, good looking…not sure if you’re smart or not but a lot of men don’t really care about that now-a-days.”

Eren stared, wide-eyed and mouth agape at Jean. ‘This is it. I’m dead. I must be in hell. And it’s frozen over. That’s the only logical explanation for how this prick could apologize and compliment me in less than a half hour.’

“Can you not stare at me like that, I said you were hot but your face right now is making me want to pull a psych joke and run away. It’s really not attractive. I don’t recommend you show that to anyone. Ever. Again.”

Eren closed her gaping hole and felt her cheeks heat up a bit and the teasing. She punched him in the arm, not really intent on leaving it aching, but not really caring if he did have a dull pain for the next hour. “Fine. I accept your apology. And your compliments. Now, this never happened, and we don’t speak of it again. You and I are on talking terms as friends and nothing more. Agreed?”

Jean smiled and stuck out his hand, “Agreed.”

The duo shook hands and nodded before heading back in to join the others and finish whatever remained of the movie. Jean reached the door first and started to search through his pockets, his movements became more frantic and the horror was apparent on his face when he realized that he’d left his ID in his dorm room. Armin had been the one to let Eren in, so she couldn’t swipe them in either.

When Eren saw Jean’s expression, she knew they were screwed until the movie was over, or someone answered their phone. She shook her head and rolled her eyes while dialing Armin’s number, praying that he still had his phone on him and that it wasn’t plugged up next to his dresser like usual. Of course it was. Why would her luck suddenly change for the better after all this time. A violent shiver overtook her body while she searched through her contacts and before she could protest, Jean had draped his letterman over her shoulders. It was warm and though she wanted to state the clear overstepping of boundaries, she didn’t, choosing instead to offer a silent nod of thanks and continuing to call different numbers.

After a chilly five minute wait, the door was opened and Armin’s confused and concerned form was waiting on the other side. The duo quickly shuffled in and before Armin could verbally ask, Eren quickly answered, “We just had a short chat.”

Armin raised a brow as she started back towards the lounge, ‘Kirstein?’ he noticed Jean’s letterman draped on her shoulders and looked to Jean for more lengthy explanation.

“Don’t worry man, we just got to know each other a bit better,” he winked and felt a chill run down his spine from the cold glare Eren shot him.

‘I heard that you asshole.’ She slowed her pace and allowed the guys to catch up to her, she shook off Jean’s jacket and handed it back to him, “I take back what I said earlier. We aren’t friends, just acquaintances.” She quickly looped her arm with Armin’s and hurried back towards their place on the sofa, grinning widely when she saw Mikasa had retaken her place.

Jean was left with a stupefied expression and a less warm jacket. But at least he’d gotten the answers to his questions. She did seem happy, but something about that short shit of man having her just didn’t sit right with him. ‘Whatever, she’s yours for now little man, but I swear, as soon as you let her go, I’m swooping in. Warning or not, I’m not going down without a fight.’

He tried to get Mikasa to scoot over and was blatantly shushed away, though he didn’t want to admit it, he really didn’t dislike the lack of distance between himself and Marco. He’d been a part of their small group for a little over a year now, and he seemed like an honest and dependable guy; they weren’t the closest of friends, but he wouldn’t mind getting to know him better.

* * *

Levi had just finished answering his last round of questions when he felt the phone vibrate against his chest, he thanked the attendees and took his leave, heading down the narrow walkway and outside the lecture hall to check his message.

 **[Received 10:13 PM] Eren:** _Thanks. I hope your day was good too, don’t stress too much. I’m staying over at the dorms tonight, so don’t worry about picking me up tomorrow morning. See you later._

Levi shook his head, but smiled anyway. He headed towards his car; he’d moved it from the faculty lot to the student’s lot. It was closer to the lecture hall and just easier to get to overall.

The most annoying parts of parking in the student lots were the possibility of his pristinely kept coupe being dinged by a younger, inexperienced twit, though the worst was that they were all located close to the dorms; which meant he could almost always hear booming music coming from opened or cracked windows, the sounds of idiots fucking around after hours, or the few brave souls who would go and get fucked up out in the outdoor spaces. He’d learned to avoid any and all confrontations, especially with the jocks and assholes in this particular boys dorm, save for a few of Eren’s friends, most of the guys were completely useless wastes of space and he enjoyed each and every one that he failed. Not out of spite mind you, simply due to their own lack of performance in his class. He was a fair grader and despite their occasional threats and bribes, he would continue to stay that way.

As he made his way down the steps and towards his parked car, he looked up when he heard a familiar voice hit his ears. It was undoubtedly coming from the boy’s dorm, however this voice which held a higher pitch, and softer, soothing tones accompanied with it, had him jerking his head up and staring at the balcony.

“Eren?” He scrunched his brows and spoke aloud, though no one was around to hear the confused statement. She was out on the balcony and seemed to arguing… or talking to some guy. He couldn’t quite make out his features, since they were a little too far away, but he could definitely tell that one of the two figures was definitely her. He shook his head and slid into his car, waiting for the seats to warm him up before shifting to drive and heading off towards his home in hopes of a hot shower and a long, restful sleep. The last thing he saw was the man slipping his jacket over her shoulders. He absentmindedly gripped the wheel tighter and his jaw tightened.

‘It’s her business. I have no right to pry.’ But that thought didn’t stop him from sending her a usual ‘sleep well’ text right before he lay down to sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> Fun fact: I stopped biting my nails after being a nail biter for almost 20 years. (I guess I can make more of these about me right?)
> 
> Sayonara til next update~


	22. Home Sweet Home Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exams, spring break, and one overbearing mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin, if I did, no one would be dead.

**Chapter Twenty: Home Sweet Home Part 1**

The satisfying sound of bacon hitting the hot pan, sizzling and emitting its enticing aroma filled the Friday morning air. Levi flipped a few of the pieces, getting them evenly done and flawlessly crispy before shutting off the burner and plating the freshly cooked slices alongside the fluffy pancakes and perfectly scrambled eggs. He set the dishes on the table and covered them after clearing away the small mess of dishes that accumulated from breakfast making, then started towards his guest bedroom, which he was considering renaming Eren’s room, since she seemed to use it more often than not as of late.

He rapped lightly on the door, then entered when no sound or protest was made. He couldn’t help the small smile when he saw her prone form, sprawled out wildly on the bed, hair its usual disheveled mess and limbs tangled in the disarray of spotless, white sheets. Levi walked over and ran his hand along her slumbering face, lightly caressing her cheek with the back of his forefinger, then moved to brush her unruly chocolate locks aside for a better view of her sleeping face. He would never openly admit it, but moments like these were quickly becoming one of his favorite parts of their relationship- the nights she’d stay up too late studying in the library and she’d miss her train home, or misplace her keys and have to call him, or show up at his office contritely, along with profuse and what he deemed unnecessary apologies, asking if she could stay with him for the night or for a ride home. It’d been so rampant during the past two weeks, no thanks to midterms, that he’d put his foot down and simply asked her to spend the last week of midterms with him. He wouldn’t bother her because he had his own grading to do and she wouldn’t bother him because she had five classes to study for.

It had worked out surprisingly well for them, and Levi found great relief in knowing that Eren was at least eating decent meals and getting the necessary rest to do well on her exams- since he of course prepared most of their meals himself. It’d been so long since he’d been in a routine of caring for needs other than his own; it was something that he found quite relaxing- almost enjoyable- having Eren around brought about a certain peace he’d been unaware he was missing, and it wasn’t something he was ready to let go of, certainly not anytime soon.

After admiring her lightly snoozing form a few more moments, he decided it was about time she got up so they could enjoy their breakfast before it got cold. She could go back to sleep when she finished, her last exam was Thursday, so she’d earned all the rest she could get, but he didn’t want her to sleep the entire day away without eating at least one meal. He mentally cursed about having to leave to give his last exam and wished that his class had voted to have their midterm Wednesday and get off earlier.

“Eren,” he called austerely, some annoyance at his class had seeped into his tone, “wake up, it’s time for breakfast.” He noticed movement under her lids and sat down on the edge of the bed hoping the gentle bouncing movement would help further rouse her. He called her once more, only with a softer tone.

“Nngh…” Eren groaned and rolled over to her side, facing away from Levi, “…” She huffed and readjusted to a more comfortable position, ready to disregard the man on her bed and get back to the colorful dream she’d been having of riding horseback through a dense, and beautiful forest; countless numbers of trees with dark, supple green leaves all around her while the sunlight filtered through, warming and illuminating the dilapidated cobblestone path.

“Eren?” Levi leaned over her, amused by the somewhat childish protest to leave her dream world. When her breathing evened out again, and the slight tension between her brows had settled, Levi sighed, admitting his silent defeat and weakness for her sleeping face. He stood and managed to wrestle the sheets into a more uniform covering over her, then left the room as quietly as possible, disappointed that he would be eating alone, but also pleased that she was resting well.

A half hour later and his plate was cleared, cleaned, and put away, along with the other dirtied dishes, the counters were wiped down to his standards and Levi was in his closet, reluctantly dressing himself for the last class to give his exam to.

Before he left, he peeked back into the room to see that Eren was still sleeping soundly, then with one final glance, he left and headed towards the university, all the while a small, and uncharacteristic smile that both excited and alarmed his students remained on his lips.

* * *

 The following morning, Eren regretted that she’d slept the whole of Friday away as she loaded the last of her bags into the back of Levi’s coupe; she didn’t even get to say bye to Armin or Mikasa before they left on their trip. They’d chosen to do the ‘alternative’ spring break, which was basically a weeklong trip to some place in the states that was in grave need of volunteers or positivity, every year they went somewhere different to help homeless shelters, aid in volunteer projects, help build homes, or spend time with lower income and impoverished children who just needed someone to listen to or encourage them. It was something that they’d both done their freshman year and since then, it’d become a short lived tradition for the duo, and they’d hoped that it would become something all three of them could enjoy together but Eren had to turn down the offer, since she’d already promised herself to Levi for the vast majority of spring break.

Mikasa was less than thrilled, but Eren promised next year she would join them, and that somewhat placated her aggression towards a certain professor. Though Eren, with the help of Armin, made sure to keep either party from running into each other or even being in the same room for more than five minutes, lest any battles began.

Levi shut the trunk and headed around to the passenger side to let Eren in before returning to the driver’s seat; once they were settled, he set off towards the airport. To be perfectly honest, they could drive there, his home was only one state over, but he didn’t like thought of putting all that mileage on his car, nor did he want to mess with a rental while his was in the shop for an oil change and who knows what else from taking the road trip. Though it was tempting to arrive a day late to his mother’s soiree.

The ride was silent all the way to the airport, a light tension still apparent. Eren had agreed to go with him for this circus ride-though more likely  wreck-waiting to happen, but Levi conveniently neglected to tell her that they’d be flying there; he also failed to mention that their tickets had already been bought and paid for, along with the hotel he booked two weeks prior. It goes without saying that Eren was a little miffed by all these expenses, and absolutely insisted on paying him back. It also goes without saying that Levi vehemently refused, which ultimately resulted in the awkward, somewhat uncomfortable air that now, even as they check in, continues to settle around them.

The sparse exchange of words continued all the way through the ride, and into their hotel room, Levi's now due to his growing regret over his decision to come home, let alone bring Eren along. Eren’s silence on the other hand, became the result of her awe at the hotel; she was completely taken by the beauty of the room and the view, so much that she momentarily forgot why she was even annoyed to begin with.

She stood on the balcony, overlooking the snow white beach, and cerulean waters cast orange by the dimming glow of the setting sun, painting the sky pink, purple, and mandarin, “This is incredible Levi.” Those four words were all it to took to ease the tension from his shoulders. He glided through the balcony door and stood next to Eren, leaning a bit too heavily on the railing, admiring the view alongside her. As the sky turned dark, he recalled the night when he’d actually met Eren, his first impression of her hadn’t been the best, but he found himself incredibly taken by her smile, and that curious glint, the thirst for life in those large, innocent eyes.

He realized he’d been caught staring when he noticed Eren’s nervous flinching, something he’d learned either meant she was hiding something or she wanted to say something but was thinking of the most intelligent way of wording it.

“You’re staring.” Though finding intelligent ways of wording things was not really one of her strong points.

“How observant of you.” Levi stated boredly, making no attempt to look away.

“Why…? Um, is something on your mind?” The pressure of being alone with a man in a hotel a state away from home finally started to set in.

Levi smirked, he considered easing her tension, but she’d been as much of an ass today as he had, so he figured messing with her for a little would be fair game. “Are you actually thinking about the words coming out of your mouth, because it seems like your brain is playing on the losing side of this game.”

The eye roll and slight puff of her cheeks were enough to tell Levi that he’d won, and successfully chased whatever tension remained away. He hadn’t intended for the comment to get Eren bent out of shape, so continued on after letting out quiet puff of amused breath, “There is something actually,” he returned his gaze to the darkened waters, the lights of the hotel were the only thing lighting up the cold night air, “on my mind that is.”

“Oh?” Eren prompted.

“I was thinking about the night we first met, and actually got to speaking with each other, you’re just as fun to tease now as you were then,” he shot her another smirk, mirth dancing in his eyes at her change in posture, “to think that four months ago we were nothing more than strangers, and tomorrow you’re meeting my parents.”

“It is kinda funny isn’t it…who knew?” Eren was turned towards the beach, question posed to the chilly night air.

Levi reached over and took her hand in his, enjoying the faint blush on her cheeks from the chilly night breeze, he pressed his lips lightly to her  knuckle and intertwined their fingers, “Maybe in another four months I’ll get to meet your parents too.” It wasn’t meant to be serious, just a playful statement, left to pass by along with the breeze, but Eren stiffened momentarily and Levi would be damned if he didn’t notice it. He recalled Eren’s previous behaviors at the mention of her deceased mother, and decided that it was something better left for her come forth with, he had no right to pry into matters he knew so little of; though he wished with increasing voracity everyday that there were fewer and fewer things that he didn’t know about Eren, but as they spent more time together, the young woman who he originally pegged as an honest and somewhat ruddy open book, seemed to have a few torn pages and even more tightly sealed sections.

He leaned forward, high enough to place to a chaste kiss to the side of her mouth before turning and leading them both back into the hotel room, “It’s getting late, what do you say we turn in for the night…I can tell you right now that tomorrow, you’ll appreciate the extra sleep.”

Eren forced a small smile and nodded, following Levi into the room, and then indicated that she wanted her hand back from his intimate grasp. Levi complied, albeit reluctantly, then headed for his bag to finish unpacking. “Feel free to shower first,” he directed over his shoulder, setting his pristinely folded garments into one of the top drawers.

“Alright,” Eren nodded and gathered her toiletries, ready to escape the new tension that had settled in the room. A half hour later she emerged feeling refreshed, and bee lined straight for the bed; it was only after Levi had finished showering that she noticed what had been bothering her about the room—there  was only one bed—then  she felt a bounce on the mattress and slight dip an alarmingly short distance from her body.

Eren shot up, almost too quickly and scooted further to the edge of the bed.

“What the-sorry, did I wake you?” Levi was propped up on one arm, damp hair clinging to the sides of his face in way that made him look even younger, his eyes were narrowed slightly, like he just opened them and a yawn escaped before Eren could speak her protests, a little wetness formed at the edge of his eyes and she could tell he was exhausted, much more than he’d led her to believe.

Eren shook her head, but stayed upright, teetering on the edge of the mattress.  Levi raised a thin, questioning brow before scrunching them both back down in an expression that was scowl-like in nature, but much too soft to be considered a full blown grimace. “Don’t tell me you didn’t notice there was only one bed.” It was not a question, Levi simple shook his head and rolled over, reaching for the lamp and flipping the switch, shrouding them in complete darkness, save for the faint rays of moonlight that shone through the gaps in the curtains.

When Eren made no move to settle, Levi huffed and his tired voice broke through the silence, “Tomorrow is going to be a long day, I suggest you get over it and go to sleep or go sleep on the sofa,” she watched his pale arm pop out from under the covers and point towards the little lounger in the corner, “and don’t worry, I’m not going to try anything. I thought by now you’d realize that, sorry for assuming.”

Eren felt embarrassed, thinking that Levi would try and force her into doing anything with him, she shook her head and slowly sank back down under the covers. An apology was on the tip of her tongue, but all came out was a whispered, “Goodnight.”

After a few moments of even more awkward silence, Levi’s voice chimed through the room, “Don’t worry about it,” as if he’d heard her thoughts, “goodnight Eren, sleep well.”

Moments later, the two were both sound asleep, comfortably sharing a bed for the first time.

* * *

 “You don’t have to answer anything that makes you uncomfortable, do you understand?” Levi’s tone was stern, his face devoid of any emotion while he took as long as possible to find the perfect spot to park in the above ground parking garage outside the mall; his mother decided to have brunch at his favorite pizza restaurant as a teen.

“Mhmm,” Eren mumbled absently, her thoughts were on so many things other than Levi’s reckless abandon for driving, though, since they were in a rental, he’d at least stayed within 10 over the speed limit, she silently prayed that he would quickly park so she could set her feet on stable ground again. She tried to focus on everything but the inevitable meeting of Dr. and Mrs. Ackerman.

“Eren.”

She hadn’t registered that the car was stopped; he’d been parked for the better part of three minutes now, staring in silence, waiting for Eren to catch the breath Levi knew she was too afraid to take.

The light nudge to her shoulder was what woke her out of her negative train of thoughts, ‘What if they don’t like me, what if I say something stupid, what if they think I’m stupid…or that I’m just using him…’

“Hmm? Are we there already?” She looked around and smiled sheepishly when she noticed the car was indeed parked, and they’d arrived at their destination in one piece; whether or not Eren would remain in one piece after this visit was a whole other ballgame.

“It’s not too late to refuse the invitation. If you want to, I’ll turn around right now and head back to the hotel; we can spend the rest of the week on the beach and not worry about any of this.” Though his voice remained steady, Eren could see the faintest hint of uncertainty in his eyes, like he was begging for her to make the decision.

Feeling flattered, and strangely enough, annoyed by this statement, Eren looked him in the eye and took one hand in hers, “We’re already here, how bad would it look if we just ran away now?” She let a small smile show, “Besides, I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”

That reassurance was the last push Levi needed to move forward, he grasped her hand a bit tighter for a moment before releasing it and exiting the car. Moments later, the two were walking side by side towards the bistro, and soon they were being directed to their seats.

Levi stopped dead in his tracks when they followed the waitress around the corner. _No. Oh. Hell. Fucking. No._ His father sat, intently searching the menu while his mother sat to his right, smiling widely with hands moving animatedly as she talked to the three other women seated around the table. He would have grabbed Eren’s hand and stormed through back towards the rental if she hadn’t stopped him with her hesitant, but reassuring smile. She shook her head and continued towards the table, acting as if nothing was amiss and that she wasn’t resisting the strong urge to nibble on her bottom lip.

Once they were past the point of no return, Levi’s father stood and was the first to greet the somewhat surprised couple.

“Levi, you’re finally here, it’s been too long since you’ve been home son,” the large man surprised Eren when he stood up, he easily towered a foot and half over Levi and it was almost comical seeing them stand next to each other. He had very robust, angular features and Eren had a hard time believing that was his biological father, if it wasn’t for the strikingly pale blue eyes, almost identical to Levi’s own, she wouldn’t have been surprised if Levi was his adopted son. It was then that oldest of the women, who Eren presumed was his mother, stood and followed in suit with his father, she was far shorter with a petite, delicate frame and long, peppered hair that looked just as silky as Levi’s, her features were demure and though she was well into her late sixties, Eren could tell that she was once a breathtaking beauty, ‘She is definitely where he gets his looks from.’

Having become caught up in seeing his parents for the first time, Eren hardly registered that they’d greeted their son and ushered him over to the table, leaving her standing awkwardly waiting to be introduced…or even noticed. After thirty more awkward seconds of limbo, she moved over into the intimate family space, already feeling the earth being tilled for the seed of dislike soon to be planted for his parents.

“Are you lost dear?”

“Ah no actually I’m here with-“ he cut her off

“No, she’s not lost. Mother, Father, I’d like you to meet Eren.”

“Hello, it’s great to finally meet you both, I’ve heard so many wonderful things.” Eren managed her most genuine smile as she reached out to shake his father’s hands, then his mother’s, who was reluctant to return the gesture—well reluctant is putting it nicely.

The annoyance and surprise at seeing her well accomplished son with such a young looking woman—girl rather—practically slapped Eren in the face as she spoke, “Oh, that’s funny, because he never mentioned a thing about you. Eren, was it?” She turned to shoot an icy glare at Levi, whose face remained impassive.

“Ah, yes ma’am, it’s a pleasure,” Eren tried her best to smile, just as ready to end the awkward handshake as much as Levi’s mother was unwilling to return it.

“Hmm. I’m sure.” The dark eyed woman returned to her seat.

Eren wanted nothing more than ask what the obvious problem this woman seemed to have with her was, but out of respect for Levi, and to be fair, he did warn her and offer plenty of opportunities to keep _this_ from happening, she simply swallowed her pride and waited for the waiter to bring her a chair.

After a few seconds of standing, though it seemed more like hours to Eren with how tense the air had become, the three women began to introduce themselves, though Eren hardly paid them any attention, she was sure that at least one of them was named Marah, or maybe it was Mina, she couldn’t bring herself to care.

Levi had offered Eren his seat, but when she politely declined, he chose to stand with her and wait until the waiter brought her chair. Soon all seven were seated and ready to order, once their entrée’s were ordered, and their drinks and appetizers brought, a thin veil of icy silence fell back over the party.

Levi’s father tried to break the ice that had settled over the table after the waiter had come by to check on them again, “So, Eren, I understand you’re one of Levi’s students, but I didn’t quite catch what it is that you’re studying.”

He caught her mid-bite on a stuffed mushroom lathered in white truffle sauce, she simply smiled and nodded, mouth too full to reply immediately; she sent a pleading look to Levi who’d been oddly silent considering these were his parents.

“Sadly, I haven’t had the pleasure to teach her in my classroom, but she is a psychology student.” His face remained unchanged while Eren quickly downed an unhealthy amount of water.

Smiling, whether genuine or not Eren herself couldn’t have said, she confirmed her scholastic interests. While Levi’s father continued to entertain Eren, he was much more amiable than his wife, which Eren came to find out was named Leanne; his mother continued to pay Eren as little attention as possible, she focused on playing up the benefits of having an established, mature woman by his side would be over any other alternative. Once their food arrived, a new silence fell over the table as each member opted to focus more on ridding themselves of their hunger, rather than paying either Leanne or the twiddle triplets any more attention.

Leanne didn’t openly attack Eren until it was time to pay and both Levi and his father pulled out their wallets. Levi insisted that he paid for both his and Eren’s meal without a seconds thought, while his mother insisted that he also pay for one of the other women as well, it was only _fair_. The extraordinarily short dispute was over within seconds when his father spoke up, “Leanne. Enough.” His voice was stern, any of the earlier lightness now gone. His tone was enough to bring silence to the whole table, which stretched on until the waiter came to ask how the check would be split. Levi shot him a challenging look, but seemed to concede under his father’s gaze.

Dr. Ackerman paid for everyone and with nothing more an a few whispered words of thanks, Levi and Eren were out in the parking lot and heading back towards the hotel.

* * *

“Believe me or not, that could have gone much worse,” Levi started the moment the door to their room was closed.

“Really? Cause I can’t help but think your mother hates me.” Her tone was devoid of any amusement, all the aggression she’d held in during that dreadful excuse of a lunch was seeping out of the half-ass dam she’d constructed, ready to burst at any moment.

She was outside on the balcony again, enjoying the afternoon sea breeze, the ocean looked incredibly inviting and she wished she’d remembered to pack her swimsuit. Levi stood in the doorway, admiring her silhouette against the backdrop of cerulean waters and the snow white sand spotted with many beach goers.

“We can still just have a private vacation,” he mused, closing the distance between them in a backwards hug, he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder, “You can go the beach and get a nice tan while I turn into a lobster,” he paused to listen to her chuckle, though he hadn’t intended that statement as a joke, he was deadly serious, no matter how hard he’d tried growing up, he could never tan, sadly, just like his mother, he would turn a glaring red and be unpleasant and untouchable for days following overexposure to the sun, “there’s also a few local shopping strips…or if you want to do something  more exciting, Miami is only an hour drive away.”

He lightly pressed his lips to the nape of her neck and smirked against the sensitive skin at the delicious shiver that ran down her spine.

“The beach sounds wonderful,” she was a little breathless, “I think we should do a little shopping first.” She wiggled her hips and Levi loosed his grip enough for her to turn around and face him, her cheeks were alight with fire and her pupils blown just enough to excite Levi, “But maybe later,” she added, swooping in to capture his lips while he slowly guided them back into the room.

Seconds later Eren was sprawled out on her back with Levi’s weight comfortably atop her while they continuously attacked each other’s mouths and whatever else they could reach, there were some teeth involved, which Levi quickly learned was an incredibly erotic turn-on for Eren, one he happily indulged.

What happened nearly a month ago in the front seat of his car was more than they’d ever done together, neither party regretted the act, but a silent agreement was made the days following that their relationship, at least at this point, would never overreach that boundary again. Despite her willingness to please him, Levi knew that Eren would later appreciate the slow moving pace of their relationship, that and he wasn’t entirely sure that she could handle a much more intimate and physical relationship beyond their occasional make out sessions, and for the most part, fully clothed grinding fests. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, be it emotionally or physically, but it didn’t stop his thoughts from wandering to what it would be like to take her—would she be loud or quiet, want it fast and rough or slow and steady—from how her tongue was dancing so aggressively between his lips, he imagined she’d leave nail marks down his back while he pounded her welcoming and lithe body mercilessly into the mattress.

He bit her bottom lip and let out a breathy sigh of satisfaction when she moaned quietly, he continued his onslaught on her lips, jaw, and neck while his hands settled on her hips, rubbing small circles with his thumbs on the soft tissue between her abdomen and the top of her pelvis. Soon the breathless, wanton noises that filled the room were replaced with Eren’s subdued laughter and the low hum of Levi’s voice. He’d managed to find another of her sensitive spots and their necking session had turned into an impromptu massage session.

Eren lay clutching a pillow, ass towards the ceiling in nothing but a thin tank top and the shortest shorts Levi had ever seen her wear while he, in an equally thin tank, gently kneaded the tension from her shoulders and lower back. Eren fell into a semi-conscious state and her shoulders began to slump while her breathing evened out. He moved his attention down her legs, to her calves and finally to each foot, every so often blowing a puff of air to keep her roused from the tickling sensation. Soon he was finished and he made his way back up to her lightly snoozing form.

He admired the gentle rise and fall of her back, and slowly trailed his eyes down dip of her back to the perfect curve of her ass, silently debating the ethics behind whether or not a ‘cheek’ massage would be appropriate. He leaned down and kissed along her nape, pulling her body closer to his by wrapping an arm around her waist.

They fell into a light afternoon nap like that, Eren hugging the pillow for dear life while Levi was lazily draped around her, his breath coming out in warm puffs against her nape.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> After Home Sweet Home comes my most favorite part to date.
> 
> Fun fact! I got to meet a hoard of incoming freshman from Germany and all I can say is: I’ve never seen so many aesthetically pleasing people in my life. They were so well kept and clean looking, I just, wow, mind blown. Get on that hygiene y'all it's very attractive. 
> 
> Sayonara til next update~


	23. Home Sweet Home Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of spring break and a surprise visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin, if I did, no one would be dead.

**Chapter Twenty-One: Home Sweet Home Part 2**

“Which do you think looks better?” Eren alternated the two swim suits while she looked in the shop’s ornate white mirror.

“I’d have to see them on you first.” Levi replied, he continued to boredly flip through the magazine one of the shop matrons handed him half an hour ago. He had intended the whole beach front hotel thing to be a pleasant surprise for Eren, though he truly had expected that she packed at least one swim suit; this was obviously not the case, and he found himself sitting in a plush chair while Eren flit from one end of the little boutique to the other in search of a cute but also reasonably priced swimsuit; though he told her money wasn’t a problem, she insisted on trying to find the cheapest one.

“Which one?” She asked again, this time making sure he was looking.

Eren stood in front of him and held out the two options she’d finally narrowed her search to. With a sigh, Levi looked up from the ‘This Summers Top Trends’ article and to the two pieces of swimwear currently being held in front of his face. A fairly plain white one piece with subtle ruffle detailing on the shoulders and around the hips, it looked like it would be quite a modest suit, and Levi silently hoped she’d wear that so no one would see too much of the tanned goddess he was lucky enough to call his own. The second option looked a bit more revealing; it was a white halter bikini set with black polka dots that had lace and bow detailing along with a frillier row of ruffles around the hips. He had to admit, they both would look dazzling on her…

“Why not both?” He said bluntly.

“Because that’s excessive, I only need one.” She rebutted.

“You never know, we’re going to be here most of the week, just get both of them.” Levi waved over one of the many attendants standing idly by in wait of an opportunity to be of assistance and all but forced the swimsuits out of Eren’s hands and into the hands of the attendant. “We’re taking both of these.”

The woman nodded and smiled widely, accepting the pieces before she made her way to the register to prepare the transaction. Before Eren could further protest, he’d already made his way to the register and given the attendant his bank card to complete the purchase.

“Would you like any cover-ups to go with your purchase sir? You can choose one for free with the purchase of two or more suits.”

Levi made sure to avoid Eren’s gaze as he nodded and waited for the attendant to show the free cover-up options. Thinking Eren would likely take another half hour to decide, he pointed to a frilly, mini-dress option made of a gauze-like fabric with a pink floral design.

Once the couple was finally out of the boutique, Levi turned to Eren and asked, “Care to tell me why you look like you just shat yourself?”

Eren’s eyes widened momentarily at the crass nature of his question, then quickly averted her gaze. “And what makes you say that?” she countered.

“It’s just that most people get excited when someone spends a little money on them, or you know, at least try and show a little appreciation. All I’m getting from you is annoyance and resentment. It’s bizarre and I just want to know what is it is that I did so I’ll be sure to avoid it in the future.”

Eren remained silent, ever since that night she got stuck outside the dorm with Jean, she’d been replaying one thought every time Levi spent even a few dollars on her, ‘So you actually like him or are you more interested in the perks of having a sugar daddy?’ it wasn’t like she asked him to spend money on her, he really just did it, almost as if it were a habit, or maybe a whim. After the surprise plane tickets, arriving at the hotel and seeing how lavish it really was, not to mention that view, she couldn’t help but dwell on the term ‘sugar daddy,’ that’s not what Levi was to her, was he? She really did like him, and care about him, but did he know that? What has she ever done to show him that she cared for him far more than her finances would permit?

She could rarely afford to treat him and he was more than understanding of that fact, but she just couldn’t help but feel bad, _guilty_ even, that he constantly covered their expenses whenever they went out. And now here she was, yet again, causing him to spend absurd amounts of money on her and offering nothing more than a sour face and unpleasant vibes.

“No, no, I’m really happy, ecstatic even, those swimsuits are really adorable…it’s just…I can’t help but feel bad every time you spend so much on me. I’m sorry, that’s not being very grateful is it? You know, just forget I mentioned it…” she quickly pulled out her phone and clicked to liven the screen and check the time, “It’s already this late? What do you say we grab a late lunch? My treat.” She forced a grin and reached down to lace her fingers with Levi’s.

“I do believe I’ve told you this before, but I’ll say it again for the situations sake; money is not an issue, so don’t let that even factor into this equation, alright?” He squeezed her hand tightly for a moment, then added, “Lunch sounds great. What do you have in mind?”

Eren allowed herself a small, earnest smile, “Nothing in particular, you?”

“I’m actually craving French, but since we’re by the ocean, why not go for some seafood?”

“Hmm, sounds great.”

With that, the two made their way down the little shopping strip in search of a local restaurant and a fresh sea-sourced meal.

* * *

After enjoying the chef’s choice and freshest catch of the day for lunch, Levi and Eren made their way around a few more shops before returning to the hotel and making their way out to the beach; both too ready and willing to forget the unfortunate circumstance that held them captive in a would be paradise, _if not for the meals that had to be shared with Levi’s winner of a mother,_ for the next week.

Eren eyed Levi with a glint of distaste while he finished setting up the umbrella and beach chair; she stared down at her hands and let out an audible sigh when he requested the items she’d been instructed to _keep off the sand_ , ‘we’re on the beach for fucks sake, you’ll have sand in places you didn’t know were a part of you, it’s just how it goes,’ nevertheless, she handed the items back without too much attitude and simply watched while Levi adjust himself on the chair and settle with a book and a few folders full of papers in his lap.

“Are you really not going to swim?”

“I hadn’t planned on it.”

Eren’s pout fell into a full on grimace. “If you knew you weren’t going to get in the water, why did you even bother wearing your trunks?”

“Just in case I get wet.” He adjusted his reading glasses and looked up from marking a paper, “There are troublesome children anywhere you go, not to mention immature young adults.” He made it a point to look Eren directly in the eye as he said it.

“Humph.” She shrugged and walked to stand under the shade of the umbrella, “Suit yourself. If you wanna stay here and look grumpy while you grade papers then by all means, don’t let me or my _immaturity_ distract you, _professor.”_ Her tone was playful, but Levi was still able to detect a hint of sadness behind the jestful words.

Levi felt drawn to give into her, but the last thing he wanted was to spoil Eren, and seeing as he’d fulfilled nearly all the princess’ requests so far that day, he figured being a little tough love would do her good. Relationships were all about give and take, and though she was giving herself in a big way by even being here with him, he still wanted to make sure she knew she couldn’t and wouldn’t always get what she wanted.

He simply grunted in response and returned to grading the last pile of midterms he’d oddly enough, managed to misfile.

‘I said don’t let me distract you, but that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna try,’ she smirked to herself and rummaged through their shared beach bag, ‘hah, found it!’ Eren plopped down near the tip of the beach lounger and placed the squeeze bottle of sun block on her lap. Once settled, she started her little show.

Slowly, she untied the little bows that secured the front of the floral cover-up. With more movement than necessary, she slipped the rest of the cover-up off her body and made a show of neatly folding it and reaching across Levi’s legs to put in the beach bag. She then returned to the actual task at hand, putting on sun block. She loved tanning but they were going to be here for a whole week, she had plenty of time to get a nice even tone later on, no point in rushing it now? Plus, prevention is an important part skin care, especially in your younger years.

She popped open the lid and squeezed a liberal amount of the white substance on her hands, then starting from her feet, worked her way to her calves, thighs, stomach, chest and shoulders. She stood and made a show of applying the precious potion on the parts of her backside that peeked out from the bikini bottom. Once satisfied, she turned to look over her shoulder with the most innocent smirk she could muster. Levi would have called it a full on shit-eating grin, but she did try at least.

He’d watched the whole display from behind his papers and tried his best to ignore just how flexible she was. He did not however ignore the passerby’s who dared stare at her during the whole routine, they got his full on _piss off or there will be problems_ glare which caused a decent amount of young brownnosers to scoff and scurry back from whence they came. ‘And of course she would wear the halter…’ though he really shouldn’t complain, his view was positively fant- _ass_ -tic.

When she shot him that look, he knew he’d lost. Fuck not spoiling her; he was well past that point already. He made one last attempt to salvage his nerves and paused the mad scratching of red ink across the page, “What?”

“Can you put it on my back? I can’t reach and the last thing I want is a giant dark blotch from missing a spot.” She was standing next to him, struggling to keep a smile off her face. She knew she had him whipped, or at least that she was close to it.

“I _can_ but that doesn’t mean I _will_.” His face remained impassive and he looked back down to the paper in his lap, feigning disinterest in her scantily clad body. She was much leaner than her clothes lead him to believe. It was so tempting to just give in right then and there so he could allow his bare hands to roam over taunt, and undoubtedly soft skin.

Eren rolled her eyes and asked again, “Okay, _will_ you help me with my back,” she paused and considered for a moment then looked him directly in the eyes, offering the sweetest smile she could muster, “Please Levi.”

That was it. He was whipped. _When did she manage to get a grip on my heart. This is dangerous._

He placed the papers away neatly in their folders and moved his legs so Eren had more comfortable space to rest on while he smothered spf in the places she was unable to reach.

Starting from the back of her neck and down, Levi made sure to be thorough and generous with his application, it quickly passed from being sun block application to a gentle massage as he worked his way from her shoulder and down to her lower back and sides.

When he deemed his work complete, he wrapped his arms loosely around Eren’s waist, trapping her arms against her torso while he whispered against her ear, lips lightly grazing below the lobe, “I’ll play with you later, so let me finish my work, _brat._ ” He punctuated his words with a light kiss then all but kicked Eren off the lounger.

Satisfied with the promise of company, Eren left Levi to his work and began exploring the beach. She walked along the shoreline and watched all the happy families, couples, and a few individuals like herself going about their business, flitting around the snow white powdery mounds of sand and wading into the crystal clear cerulean waters. The ocean was breathtaking, the way the sunlight glinted off the gentle waves and the calming sound of the rise and fall of the waters as they danced along the shoreline; the distance laughter and giggles of teens and children as they braved the watery playground.

When the distant pitches of voices became faint murmurs, Eren stopped walking; she looked around to see how far she’d gone and was actually surprised to see she’d made it nearly to the other side of the sandy cove. Seven grand beachfront hotels lined the majority of the cove; the hotel Eren and Levi stayed at being towards the end of these seven. She’d made it to the rockier part of the cove, there was much more brush, rocks, and shells along the shore where she walked, so she moved back into the water, letting the tide come up to her ankles as she continued onwards.

Her goal was a small patch of black rock formations, they looked like a great spot to just sit and relax, not to mention it was secluded, so she had plenty of space for just herself and her thoughts. It was better than any Whirlpool could offer.

Once she finally found a good place on the rocks, she allowed her eyes to drift shut and immersed herself in the tranquil solitude the area offered. The smell of salt water and a faint hint of fish, the lulling of the tide, and the occasional sound of seagulls engulfed her senses as she basked under the fading evening sunlight. When she opened her eyes again, the evening sunset cast purples, pinks and oranges across the ocean’s azure surface.

So entranced by the setting sun, Eren didn’t notice the slight form that steadily grew larger and larger as it neared the secluded area. Levi spotted Eren perched on the rocks and set their belongings down, insuring that they were secure and wouldn’t fall into the sand before he made his way closer to her.

He stopped. Eyes widening a bit at the look of pure, untainted peace and bliss he found on Eren’s face. The warm ocean breeze blew her hair in wisps around her face while the setting sun set such a marvelous coloring on her already golden complexion, and the way her eyes sparkled reminded him so much of the ocean waters that she sat admiring.

He wished that he’d brought his camera or even his phone so he could snap a few pictures; she was breathtaking.

Then she turned and looked towards him. _Yes, this was definitely dangerous, but this danger did not scare him. No, it excited him to no end. He wanted to know how far this could go, what this could turn into. Who they were to each other, and who they could become with time._ He felt his heart speed up as they made eye contact and felt an unfamiliar heat seep into his cheeks. _He was most definitely not blushing, nope. He is a grown man in his thirties and he is not blushing over a twenty year old who looks like she belongs in a magazine spread because she is way too perfect to be real._

“You found me,” she spoke quietly, as if her voice would disrupt the serenity of the area, “finish up your work?”

“Mhm. Figured I’d join you in the water, but it took me a few minutes to figure out you weren’t on our hotels part of the beach anymore, then took about another fifteen to find that you’d wandered to the other side.”

“Hmm.” Eren hummed and started to make her way down from her perch.

“Once I realized you weren’t going to turn around, I figured I join you, so here I am.” He offered her his hands so she could jump down from a particularly jagged area, and once she was safely back in his arms, he gave her a quick squeeze and their lips met for a brief greeting. “Nice place you found here.”

Eren smirked and gave him a quick peck before going to the bag to find her cover-up. As the sun went down, so did the temperature, and though the warm water currents kept the climate in a pretty steady range, it was still noticeably colder at night. Once she was covered, she looped the bag over her shoulder and reached for Levi’s hand.

“I really like it, it’s so quiet. It was a bit of a walk, but I think it was worth it.” She scowled when Levi tried to take the bag, “You brought it over here, I can take it back, besides it’s not that heavy.”

“Whether or not it’s heavy is irrelevant. It’s the principal behind the act.”

“I appreciate the chivalry, but we’re long past the middle ages, and this sure as hell isn’t the 50’s anymore. You can drop that whole, ‘women belong on a pedestal’ spiel; I’m more than capable of handling my own business.”

Levi quirked a brow and intertwined their fingers while they walked back to their hotel, “Down girl, I didn’t mean to offend you,” he shot her a glance, then sighed and gave her hand a light squeeze, “sorry, I’ll be more careful of my wording in the future.”

Eren smiled at the gesture and let her eyes slip close for a moment, trusting Levi to lead her for a short distance, “Apology accepted, and I’ll do the same.”

“Perfect. So what do you say to slowing down our pace a bit,” he stopped walking and watched Eren’s features show slight confusion, “I mean, if we get to the hotel too quickly, then we really won’t have an excuse to be late to dinner. Tonight it’s at my parent’s home, which isn’t too far so I can’t really use traffic as excuse.” He smiled, a playful glint in his eyes, “However, losing track of time while walking on the beach is valid. My mother knows I never take electronic devices with me when I’m out near the water.”

Eren giggled and nodded, once they were in agreement, they started walking again, but this time at a decreased, calm pace; trying their best to savor their moments of peace before entering the looming storm.

* * *

The petite woman with a perpetual frown on her face spoke pointedly as soon as she answered the front door, “You’re late Levi.” She stared him squarely in the eyes and waited for the possible explanation as why he’d arrived to his childhood home nearly a half hour later than the promised meeting time.

Levi met her glare and simply shrugged, ushering Eren inside ahead of him, to ensure that his mother didn’t try and lock her out. “Ran into traffic. It’s different back home.”

Leanne looked appalled. “This is your home.”

“This is _your_ home. Which is precisely why I’m staying at a hotel.”

They’d removed their shoes and started towards the dining room, a short trek from the marble stone entryway through the plush, white formal living room carpeting and onto the sleek mahogany flooring of the formal dining area.

“Which I find ridiculous. You should stay at home while you’re home. I have no idea what possessed you to pay for a hotel,” she looked over her shoulder and made brief eye contact with Eren, “it’s a waste of time and money if you ask me.”

Levi narrowed his eyes and reached down for Eren’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze before retorting, “Good thing no one asked you.”

The growing tension was broken by the large man, whom Eren recognized as Levi’s father, quite literally appearing from nowhere. “Leanne is Levi here? Caroline—ah son you’re here!” He welcomed Levi with wide open arms and practically forced the smaller man into his hug.

Eren couldn’t help but snicker at their size difference, from behind; Levi looked like a young man who’d just returned from his first year of college. Levi returned the hug, though with much less enthusiasm than his father used, then quickly tried to regain his personal space. He ducked back to Eren’s side just as a taller, pale but strong looking woman emerged from…somewhere?

“Dad is he here—?”

Eren still wasn’t sure where these people were coming from, sure if Levi or his mother tried to sneak up on you from out of thin air then that’d probably work out fine cause they were both so under the radar, but Dr. Ackerman who towered over everyone currently in the room and the kind looking woman wearing an apron were both just too much to accept. Eren stepped a bit further into the dining room and noticed a well hidden doorway that undoubtedly led to the kitchen and explained the magical appearances of people.

Within seconds of his first release, Levi was captured in another embrace by the kind faced woman, “Brother! It’s been so long don’t be such a stranger.”

Levi grumbled but didn’t protest this display of affection as strongly as he had with his father. Eren simply stood back, admiring and trying poorly to contain her sounds of amusement.

Once Caroline (at least that’s what Eren assumed her name was), caught a glimpse of her she was in her space in a heartbeat. “Ah, who is this? She’s so beautiful, look at those eyes. You are absolutely gorgeous!” She smiled towards Eren after finishing her stream of compliments then spoke as an afterthought, “I’m Caroline, Levi’s older sister, it’s nice to meet you…”

“Eren.” Eren extended her hand to shake, which was kindly returned. “Nice to meet you too, Caroline.” She stated, taking note of the familiarity in Caroline’s demeanor. ‘She reminds me of Claire…’ Eren thought to herself, trying to remember if Levi mentioned having more than one sister the last time she saw his adorable and energetic niece.

Before she could formulate the question, her thoughts were interrupted by Leanne’s abrupt reappearance. “Caroline, be a dear and come help me finish up in the kitchen,” she turned to her son, ignoring Eren completely, “Levi, help your father set the table.”

Eren looked to both Levi and Caroline for some direction, the latter already heading back through the passage while the former schooled his features into his well practiced scowl. He passed by Eren and quickly added, “Don’t worry about doing anything, just pick where you want to sit and have at it. And for the love of God, just ignore my mother, she’s putting on a show just for you.” Eren snickered at his spite filled comment and nodded as she poked around the dining table, trying to decide the best place to sit.

Just as suddenly as the room had been filled, it was empty, and Eren was left alone to take in the grand décor. “I see where he gets his great taste from.” The room itself was rather average in size for a dining space, the walls painted a cool mint color with stark white, iron, chrome, and espresso details. The table itself was plain, rectangular, and made of a deep espresso stained wood; her curiosity got the best of her and she briefly peered under the table to see the sturdy and tastefully detailed trestle base that supported the thick tabletop. The chair she sat in was made of warm white, tufted upholstery with brass studs detailing along its edges. The centerpieces of the table were four silver pillar candle holders, each with an unlit white candle atop of it.

She turned to take in the rest of the room’s décor; the crushed silk drapes in a creamy white color, similar to the color of the chairs and the grand iron curtain rods that were in a similar design to the iron sconces found along the wall. Directly behind her, was a grand mahogany buffet, which was framed well with four vertical canvases of abstract art that mimicked the placement of the four candles on the dining table.

The overall effect and design of room chimed old world charm meets modern sophistication; it was beautiful, grand, and approachable. A well planned and executed room. If Leanne had been the one to design the room, then Eren had to admit she was a bit jealous of her talents, and also that she, Leanne that is, might not be so bad after all. Surely someone who was able to put this much thought into a family space was kind…dare she say amicable to some extent?

The possibility remained that Leanne could have hired someone to design and decorate for her, given their apparent lack of need, and the abundance of richness of the few spaces she’d seen so far, Eren could guess that they’ve always been in good shape financially. Levi’s father was a doctor after all. But for some reason, the dining room just seemed to be…cozier than the other spaces she’d briefly passed by on her way in with Levi.

While Eren was lost in her musings, Levi made his way back into the dining room, chargers in hand along with napkins, dinner knives and forks. Eren didn’t notice he’d been back in the room until he reached around her to place the chrome washed charger in front of her and a stark white napkin in her lap.

“Ah, Levi,” her hand flew up to her chest in surprise, “sorry, I didn’t notice you coming back in.”

“Hmm. I see.” He continued his placement, and then moved on to place the knives and forks in their proper order.

“Do you want any help?”

He looked up from his task and smirked, “I think I can handle setting a table on my own, but thanks for the offer princess.” He offered Eren a wink when she rolled her eyes.

“Whatever.”

Levi chuckled lightly and returned to Eren’s side, he tapped her shoulder, then leaned down when she turned, capturing her lips in a quick, surprise kiss that left a lovely deep rose dust along the apples of her tanned cheeks. “Hang in there; we can leave right after dinner if you want.” Eren nodded, turning her attention back to the silvery plate in front of her. “It means more to me than you could ever know that you’re even here, please remember that.”

Before he could leave the room again, Eren caught his shirt sleeve and pulled him down for one more kiss, letting it linger a bit longer than the previous surprise attack. “We can stay through dessert if there is any.” She winked and released him just as a familiar little visitor made her way into the room.

Levi and Eren both looked over to see a sleepy Claire padding towards them, a grin plastered on her face as she rounded the table and nearly bee lined for Eren.

“Miss Eren!” she chirped excitedly, her apparent drowsiness slipping away as the seconds passed. “Hi uncle,” she said as she made her way to Levi and hugged him before returning to and practically crawling into Eren’s lap.

“Claire! I didn’t know you were here dear,” Eren allowed her rest in her lap, smiling up at Levi who stared somewhat dumbfounded at the display. “How are you?”

“Mmm! I’m here with mommy cause she’s visiting grandma and grandpa. How’s your foot? Mommy was cooking so I took a nap but I’m hungry so I came down and I didn’t know you were gonna be here I’m so happy now!” The little girl chirped excitedly, wrapping her arms around Eren again in a lingering hug.

“It’s all good, completely healed up.” Eren answered.

“That’s good.” Claire yawned and leaned into Eren, her arms still loosely around her neck as she settled in her lap.

“Claire,” Levi began, “it’s almost time for dinner and Eren can’t eat with you in her lap. I need you to pick a seat for now so we can all sit down and eat together.” His words were gentle but his tone left no room for argument.

The little girl sighed and reluctantly slid from Eren’s side. She looked around the room and decided to sit next to Eren, much to Levi’s chagrin as that was his intended seat. Though with the way she and Eren happily exchanged words, he couldn’t help but smile. He’d just have to take the seat across from her since he knew his parents always sat as the heads of the table. At least this way Caroline couldn’t complain about him being so distant; he ruffled Claire’s hair and returned to the kitchen to finish his task, knowing his father was preparing the drinks while his mother and Caroline got the food plates ready.

* * *

To both Eren and Levi’s surprise, dinner passed relatively well…and dare they think, comfortably? The only explanation either party could come up with was Claire’s presence, grandma Ackerman didn’t want to show her nasty side in front of her curious and innocent granddaughter, and Eren was more than thankful for that. Sure, Leanne had practically ignored Eren throughout the entirety of dinner, but Caroline and Dr. Ackerman had more than made up for her lack of interest with their own fair share of questions and concerns about Eren’s presence, wellbeing, and apparent familiarity with Claire.

Caroline knew she liked Eren from the moment she set eyes on her, and from the few shared glances and passes made between Eren and her little brother, she was sure Levi was more than taken with her. It was nice to see him so happy and peaceful after spending so much time alone; especially after his last serious relationship ended up in a broken engagement and more than one broken heart. Eren was good for him, and from the few interactions she’d managed to catch between the two, he was good for her as well.

It was when they’d retired to the living room, after Claire’s desperate begging to watch a movie she’d wanted to see ever since it hit theaters, that Caroline decided to bring up the question that rested on her parent’s mind. Leanne was preparing coffee for the adults and juice for Claire while Levi settled down comfortably next to Eren and Claire on one of the sofas.

“So, Eren,” the addressed turned from her brief exchange with Claire over the movie she’d wanted to watch and insisted that ‘Miss Eren and Uncle Levi stay to watch it’ to look up to Caroline.

“Hmm?”

“Are you and my brother dating?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> I cannot even believe how many views/kudos this fic has gotten. You guys really spoil me with your comments you know? I’m absolutely astonished. Thank you for the support and corrections/comments! I really do read every single one (though my replies are horribly delayed now-a-days) and they push me to find time to write.
> 
> So I did notice quite a love for Claire several chapters back, so as requested by a few of you, she’s back again! Like I said, anything you’d like to see? Leave it in the comments or on my tumblr (haruka-hourou) and I’ll try and work it into the story :3
> 
> Fun fact: I’m cosplaying Fem!Eren (+ casual school girl Makoto Kino~!) at AnimeFest this weekend! If you’re attending, let me know! I’d love to meet ya~! I’ll be in the company of a short gothic girl, an adorable (also short!) Fem!Levi, and a tall gorgeous MisaMisa!
> 
> Sayonara til next update~


	24. Home Sweet Home Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> End of Spring Break (HAH)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have not abandoned any of you, or any of my stories and I do plan on releasing more in the future. Anyway, I apologize for the lack of updates, but there was really not much I could do during that time. I hope to continue to bring you more enthralling updates and please, do leave feedback, I really appreciate it and it helps me write better (and more!)

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Home Sweet Home Part 3**

_It was when they’d retired to the living room, after Claire’s desperate begging to watch a movie she’d wanted to see ever since it hit theaters, that Caroline decided to bring up the question that rested on her parent’s mind. Leanne was preparing coffee for the adults and juice for Claire while Levi settled down comfortably next to Eren and Claire on one of the sofas._

_“So, Eren,” the addressed turned from her brief exchange with Claire over the movie she’d wanted to watch and insisted that ‘Miss Eren and Uncle Levi stay to watch it’ to look up to Caroline._

_“Hmm?”_

_“Are you and my brother dating?”_

Eren stared wide-eyed at Caroline, momentarily caught off-guard by the abrupt and straightforward question before clearing her throat and answering, “Y-yes, yes we are.” Anticipating Caroline’s next question before it could pass her lips, Eren continued, “We’ve been together for a little over four months now.” She felt her cheeks heating up as she turned to Levi with a pleading look.

“Hmm, I thought so.” Caroline then turned her attention to her younger brother with an annoyed look on her face, “And you,” she pointed accusingly to Levi, “when were you going to mention that you were in a relationship? And with a younger woman no less.”

Levi rolled his eyes and glanced off to the side, avoiding his sister’s heated glare, “Surprise. I have a girlfriend. Her name is Eren; she’s a 3rd year student at Rose University. Psychology major, 20 years old, lives alone.” He glanced quickly over to Eren before directing his gaze back to Caroline before asking, “Anymore questions.” Though it was said with the finality of a statement.

“Just one,” she smirked at the annoyed twitch in Levi’s eye, “for Eren,” she turned, the look of mirth she’d held when addressing Levi had all but faded as she asked, “How do you feel about my brother?”

Before responding, Eren stared at her for a moment, allowing her mind to formulate a coherent string of words from the stream of thoughts rushing through her head, “Good. No, I mean, I like him, he’s very kind to me, blunt, but kind…he…he’s a very good man.”

“Hmm.” Caroline hummed, watching the faint coloring on her face fade. “Then let me rephrase that…do you love him?”

That question came as less of shock, but it still managed to throw her thoughts into a jumble, “L-love?” she paused, focusing on the repetitive pattern of the plush rug beneath her feet, the greys, teals, and whites alternating to produce a wave-like affect, much like the modern interpretation of the sea as a rug, “If I were to say that I loved him right now, it would not be entirely true. I…” she paused gathering her thoughts in her head before organizing them in a process that would make her literary professor proud, “I care for him, very much, much more than I ever thought possible. He’s incredibly important to me, but love…for me it’s different. I love my friends, I loved my mother…, but for Levi it’s, different. I-I’m sorry I don’t know what I’m saying I just-”

“Eren, it’s okay. You’ve said more than enough,” he placed his hand atop hers firmly, reassuring her that she wasn’t alone and though his sister had unnecessarily put her on the spot, that he wasn’t going anywhere.

“As for you, I expect that you’ll apologize for making her uncomfortable, regardless of our relationship, Eren is first and foremost a guest, and should be treated with much more respect and kindness than she’s been shown so far.” He glanced over his shoulder to see his parents idling in the doorway, his father’s expression unreadable, while his mother’s looked something akin to flustered. “That goes for you two as well; ignoring her won’t make her disappear,” at this, Levi stood from the sofa, ushering Claire off of his lap and pulled Eren up to stand next to him, their hands still tightly intertwined, “I’m interested in this young woman and whether or not you accept that is your own prerogative; she’s very important to me and I will not sit idly by and allow any further disrespect towards her. Understood?” Though he was talking to everyone in the room, he ended his speech by resting his gaze on his mother.

After several moments of silent, Dr. Ackerman nodded and took his seat in a cream colored chair while his wife simply huffed and followed him into the room with a tray of coffee cups filled with the hot steaming liquid and a glass of apple juice for Claire. Caroline settled in next to Levi on the circular sofa while Claire curled up to Eren’s side for the duration of the movie. Once it had ended, the couple bid their farewells and goodnights before leaving Levi’s childhood home and making their way back to the hotel.

Once they’d settled back inside the hotel, Levi showered first while Eren shared a much too brief call with Armin and Mikasa over their alternative spring break destination and purpose – they’d been assigned to accompany a few children from an impoverished part of town, no more than an hour away from the university, in hopes that they would get to know them and set up a possible tutoring schedule to help increase the likelihood of the children getting into college one day. Eren ended up on the balcony overlooking the dark, moonlit waters while she finished off her conversation and shared with her friends the madness she’d experienced thus far. By the time the trio finished their updates, Levi was set and ready for bed, while Eren had just started preparing.

Very few words were exchanged between the end of her call and the moment she slipped under the covers next to Levi. They whispered their ‘Goodnights’ and each drifted off into a fitful sleep, one’s thoughts consumed with desire and duty, while the other was consumed with thoughts of feelings and trying to understand the many different emotions and forms that one simple, yet convoluted word could take on: love.

* * *

“Eren, you know you don’t have to do this, I don’t want you to feel like I’m forcing you into it,” Levi spoke with a firm, yet gentle tone, “I’m sure my parents will be able to talk to us and survive with a nine year old around, they’ve done it before,” he paused while he finished tying his shoes, his parents had requested to have lunch with him and Caroline, unspokingly excluding Eren and Claire from this mid-afternoon family gathering, Eren gladly took the hint and offered to watch over Claire, happy to avoid any further run-ins with Levi’s mother and strangely enough, his older sister as well, she seemed as though she meant well, but Caroline’s method of showing it…was less like a gentle nudge and more like a hurried shove towards a wall while Leanne’s approach was more like a sack of bricks to the face.

“It’s fine, Claire and I get along great, besides, it’s not my business to intrude on family matters anyway. I’m sure without me there you’ll actually be able to talk to your family.” She hadn’t meant for it to sound as bad as it did coming out, but there was no way to salvage the message nor take it back, it was how she felt and truly, she was sure Levi felt the same way, no matter how eloquently he tried to run around it.

“Alright then,” he sighed and grabbed his phone from the nightstand while Eren finished tidying up the few stray garments she’d been too tired to care about the night before, “Caroline is on her way to pick me up, I’m leaving you the car so if you need to do anything feel free to use it, also, Claire is a little temperamental around the ocean, a classmate of hers drowned several years ago and it’s not something she likes to bring up, though ironically she loves the beach, just make sure you watch her carefully okay?”

“Yes sir, anything else?” Eren asked, making her way over to Levi before leaning down to his level and placing a playful kiss to his lips. Her teasing gestures did not go unnoticed and Levi practically pulled her into his lap before she could escape with the innocent teasing.

“Yes,” he whispered, lips grazing the shell of her ear as her continued, “don’t get too exhausted before I get back.” He punctuated his words with a slow kiss that had her practically melting into his arms, but before things could get too steamy, his phone started ringing, the caller id for ‘Caroline’ bouncing along the screen signaling the end of their play before it had even begun.

Several hours and one acute sunburn later, Eren and Claire lay sprawled out on the hotel bed, lightly snoozing the remainder of the evening away having spent the better part of the afternoon digging for shells and trying to avoid the critters that inhabited them.

* * *

By the time Caroline and Levi arrived to the Italian restaurant their parents had chosen for their lunch, Dr. and Mrs. Ackerman were already settled and ready to order. They sat in a cozy corner booth, mostly for the comfortably cushioned seats, but also for the decent amount of privacy the corner offered.

Just outside the doors of the restaurant the siblings exchanged a few words, preparing themselves for what was likely to be an intervention, or at least an attempt at one, regarding Levi’s apparent choice in partner. Levi sighed, and Caroline gave him a knowing look before they walked in, were greeted, and all too quickly seated with their parents.

Leanne was the first to speak, “Levi darling, where is Eren? Is she not feeling well?”

Levi had to keep himself from rolling his eyes, choosing instead to focus on what he wanted to order so they could get their food, eat, and be done that much faster, “She’s just fine mother. Claire wanted to go to the beach, so Eren offered to watch her while we enjoy our _family_ lunch.”

“Oh, well you two seem so serious I just assumed she’d be joining us anyway.” She shot back in a haughty tone.

“I’m sure she would have just loved to be here. It’s thrilling. Really.” His eye twitched before spotting a waiter in his peripheral, he quickly waved him over, “Ah, yes, I’d like the Frutti di Mare, with some extra lemon slices on the side. And if you could, a slice of your mousse cake, and tiramisu to go.” The waiter quickly jotted down Levi’s order then turned to the others, diligently taking theirs before retreating back to the kitchen.

Levi returned his gaze to his mother, “Now where were we?”

Though the lunch was delicious and satisfying, the pleasant feeling of a stomach filled with good food did nothing to aid the conversation, which had become little more than a sequence recurring spats between Levi and his mother, with Caroline entering into the mix on occasion and little to no input from their father, who sat stoically observing the failed attempt at bearable family get-together.

“I don’t know why you’re in such a rush son. We hardly ever get to see you and when we do you’re ready to leave before you’ve even settled.”

“I can’t imagine why that is.” He replied, annoyance and sarcasm openly dripping from his words.

“Levi you had better-” before Leanne could snap back at him, Dr. Ackerman cut in, “That’s enough. From both of you. We are here to have a _civil_ , familial chat over lunch, not to listen to you two bicker over nothing.” He turned to his wife, “Leanne, we all understand that you don’t like Eren, and quite frankly, I don’t think any of us give a damn, and even if we did, it’s not our place to judge or decide for Levi. It’s his choice, accept it and move on.” He then looked to his son, “Do you care for the girl?”

“Yes.”

“Then that’s that, end of discussion.”

* * *

Once they’d finally said their goodbyes to their parents, Caroline and Levi decided to do some much needed catching up, the girls weren’t expecting them to be back until after dinner time and neither of them could stand being around their mother any longer. She’d made it obvious that there would be no peaceful end, she refused to accept Eren as a ‘suitable’ partner for her son, but at the very least, she had agreed to stop trying to set Levi up with what she pictured as his ‘ideal’ type…rather, her preferred type.

The siblings exchanged work horror and humor stories, updates on interests and possible gift ideas –specifically for Claire- and arranged times for future visits so they would be more frequent and less unexpected. Caroline even managed to squeeze a few details of how Eren and Levi’s relationship came to be from Levi, but soon realized if she wanted anything substantial, she’d have to ask Eren herself.

As the sun began to set and dinner time passed, the siblings made their way back to Levi’s hotel. Caroline parked in temporary space outside the valet range and took a quick breath before turning to her younger brother. She stopped him before he left the car, grabbing his arm gently, “Levi…I’m still not comfortable with how young she is…she just seems too immature,” at his growing glare she added, “I’m only saying this because I don’t want you to get hurt, but, if you really are interested in her, if you think that you can love her, and that she can love you, then I’ll support you both.”

Levi stared at his older sister then let a short sigh escape before a small smile surfaced. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I am a grown man. I’ve long since learned my limits.” He started to open the door then paused, looking Caroline square in the eyes, “I don’t think I can love her, I know I can, and I know I do. That’s all there is to it. If she falls in love with me too…then we can decide where to go from there…if not...then we simply say our goodbyes and move on with our lives.”

He exited the car and started towards the hotel while Caroline removed the key and followed after him, “And if she doesn’t? Will you be okay with that?”

Levi fished out his phone and searched through the contacts, “I’ll let you know when I do.”

She sighed accepting that to be the end of the conversation and followed Levi up to his hotel room while he hit the call button and brought the device to his ear.

When Eren didn’t answer her phone, Levi assumed she was still out on the beach with Claire, but seeing as the daylight had long since faded, he decided to check the room before attempting to navigate the beach and its dark waters just yet. He was glad he did, because the sight both he and Caroline found was too precious for words, Claire lay comfortably snoozing beside Eren, who held her in a protective hold, after snapping a few pictures for herself, Caroline allowed Levi to rouse Eren from her nap to retrieve Claire as gently as possible before carrying her down the stairs back to her car, Levi and Eren waved them off and wished them a safe trip back before returning to their room. Eren crawled back onto the bed almost immediately while Levi made a beeline for the shower.

The final days of spring break were upon them signaling the passing of another hurdle, and the quick approach of Eren’s birthday. He’d already made some skeletal arrangement for it, but he wanted to have everything finalized before the next weekend rolled around. It was a shame the day fell midweek, but he was certain she’d enjoy the plans he had in store for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I am so behind it is almost funny…almost. This was pretty dull, but getting back into the groove has not been easy. I just want to apologize now if the next few chapters seem…off…or boring. Took about 2 ½ months to write this and I’m not satisfied but at this point I’m just ready to move on and get back to the rest of the story! 
> 
> Fun Fact! I’m finally 21! Yahoo…time to start using eye cream \ ; n;/


	25. Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's 21st Birthday ( finally!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter that took me way too fucking long to finish, but this chapter is hands down one of my absolute favorites! (also a very lengthy note awaits the end of this chapter with some goodies for everyone!)

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Birthday**

A distinct popping noise echoed through the white washed room followed by a satisfied yawn as Eren rolled out of bed and stretched, trying to chase away the powerful embrace of Sleep. The welcoming smell of cinnamon, filled the air and served to further rouse her, she wandered from the guest bedroom that’d become like a second home and lazily made her way to the bathroom to freshen up. She made her way into the kitchen and sauntered up to Levi, wrapping her arms around his torso and greeting him with a slurred, “G’morning” and a kiss to the neck that made him shiver.

“Morning to you too sleepy.” He continued coating the freshly baked cinnamon rolls with a homemade glaze while his younger lover remained draped around him, enjoying the feeling of her soft body pressing into his as he deftly covered the cinnamon coated dough rolls with sugary sweetness. Once satisfied, he removed his gloves and spun round to return Eren’s kiss with a bit more fervor, lightly nipping at her lower lip and sweeping his tongue along the thin flesh.

It was a lazy Saturday morning, two days before Eren’s 21st birthday, which much to her dismay, fell on a Monday which also happened to be the day of a midterm and the due date of a rather lengthy essay. Fortunately for Eren, Levi threatened her with ‘no kisses’ until she finished her paper, she finished it six days early, submitted it to her lit professor and got a response two days later with some critiques and editing suggestions, along with instructions that she could amend and resubmit her paper before the due date to better her grade. Needless to say, her lit professor was impressed.

Their playful kiss lasted a few seconds longer before Levi broke away, much to Eren’s disappointment, and moved to finish up their breakfast. She would have been content lazing about on the couch all day, watching re-runs or catching up on Orphan Black, Armin went and got her hooked on the series the last time she stayed at the dorms and she couldn’t wait to start the next season. They exchanged a few words over a healthy serving of freshly cut fruits and Levi’s bakery quality cinnamon rolls, mostly what their goals were for the weekend and plans thereof.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drop you off?” Levi questioned between bites of sliced kiwi, “I forgot a handful of essays, so I planned on swinging by the university anyway.”

Eren yawned before responding, “No it’s alright, Armin said we’d be going out right away anyway, so he’s fine with picking me up on the way. Besides, that leaves me with more time to spend with you this fine morning.” She grinned and took a bite of the gooey deliciousness that was Levi’s baking, humming contently as she chewed that little piece of heaven.

Levi smirked as he finished the last of the food on his plate, “Funny you should say that, considering it’s past noon.” To further illustrate his point, he reached for his phone and showed her the display in electronic block letters, reading 12:32 pm.

Eren’s eyes widened comically, her face changing from one of lazy bliss to panicked excitement, “Oh shit, he said he’d be here around 1:30!” She quickly finished up her food and hurried into the kitchen with her plate to wash it.

Levi chuckled and followed her into the kitchen, he slid his arms around her frantically scrubbing limbs and rested his hands on hers before slowly inching the soapy dishes and the sponge out of her grasp and kissing her shoulder lightly. She remained encircled in his embrace while he finished off the dishes and she dried them and set them to the side, “Why did you let me sleep in so late…” she half whined as he finished putting away the last of the dishes and walked with her towards her room.

They paused outside the doorway and Levi took the opportunity to playfully run his thumb over her lower lip, eyes focused on her own wide oceanic ones, illuminated by the bright rays of sunlight that filtered through the blinds, “I wasn’t aware that I’d become your keeper, that seems like a heavy responsibility.” Before she could retort he silenced her with a kiss, not too deep, but just enough to muffle her protests. When he pulled away she started up again, saying he’d make her late and how he wasn’t playing fair. Taking the challenge with a smirk, he captured her lips once more, with a bit more force and slowly guided her further into the room and onto her bed. Their momentary parting lasted long enough for Eren’s surprised shriek to sound before he claimed her lips once again, this time with more force, deepening the kiss further with playful flicks of his tongue until she too joined in the frisky dance.

After a few more minutes of absolute bliss, Eren’s fogged out brain recalled that she had less than an hour to make herself presentable and as much as she was enjoying all the attention she really needed to get him out of the room so she could actually start getting ready. Determined to win, she bit down a bit harder than before on his tongue, and gave him a gentle push, warning him that he’d better hop off before she toppled them over onto the floor. Her back could take the tumble, but in a few more years, Levi would definitely be able to tell his could not. With a dissatisfied grunt of confirmation and a few more playful nips, Levi pushed himself off of Eren, leaving her panting and flushed figure in a tangled mess of sheets on the bed.

“You should probably start getting dressed,” he said as he playfully sauntered out of the room smirking, he added over his shoulder, “you only have 30 minutes now.”

That had Eren springing out of the bed, nearly throwing the duvet on the ground and rushing to dress herself as she shouted a disgruntled, but distinct, “J-JERK!” through the closed door of her room to her all too amused boyfriend.

40 minutes later Eren was hurrying down the steps to meet Armin outside of Levi’s building, cheeks flushed and broken out in a light sweat as she hopped into the back of his truck.

“You look…” Armin paused as she buckled herself in, “Eren…are you okay? You’re pretty red right now.”

After her breath finally caught up to her, she replied, “I’m fine Armin, just a little rushed. I kinda slept in late is all.”

“Oh?” Mikasa added, looking at Armin with a knowing smile, “That’s good, then hopefully you won’t be too tired because we have a long day ahead of us.”

Eren simply smiled back, thinking of what her friends could possibly have in store. Previous years they just binge watched T.V. series or went out for a nice dinner and a movie, simple things to do with your friends, but the way the two had been exchanging looks, and the odd lack of resistance from Levi over making plans this weekend, lead her to believe there was something else going on, and she wasn’t entirely sure she’d like it when she found out what it was.

* * *

 

After stopping by a few stores, where the trio mostly window shopped, Eren found that they’d driven nearly across town, bordering another city that seemed like an entirely different world. Many of the signs weren’t in English, though Eren wasn’t exactly sure what language they were written in, it was pretty whatever it was, blocky letters that were likely from the far east. As Armin’s truck slowed, a grand building came into view, it was cream colored with statues that reminded Eren of Ancient Egyptian sculptures. She was so caught up in staring at the building that she didn’t notice when Armin parked, nor did she register Mikasa stepping out of the passenger seat and opening her door.

“Eren?” Mikasa called softly, jolting the girl out of her dazed state.

“Hmm?” Eren hummed quietly, taking the moment to take in her surroundings, taking note of the cars before finally registering that they were indeed parked in the parking lot of this building and voices calling her name were not in her head. Okay, well, at least not all of them were.

“Well are you just going to sit there and stare, or are going to come in with us?” Armin spoke up, taking the hand that wasn’t already occupied with Mikasa’s.

“Oh, um, yeah okay,” Eren mumbled out, hopping down and joining her friends as they led her to the entrance. Soon, the chill of the early spring was left behind as the warm and freshly fragranced air of the lobby greeted them.

“Hello and welcome!” Came the excited greeting as Eren was ushered to the front desk. “Is this your first time here?” the slender woman behind the counter inquired.

Armin spoke up first, “Ah, yes ma’am, we’re here to celebrate our friend’s birthday.” The woman’s smile widened and she nodded her head.

“That’s wonderful, welcome and I hope you enjoy your experience.” She punctuated the second welcome with another smile before questioning, “Will you be checking into the hotel, or purchasing day passes for the spa?”

This time, Armin looked to Mikasa, who walked up to the counter and handed the woman three pale blue certificates with framed with golden details. “We already have passes,” she stated as she handed them over.

With another nod and smile, the woman rang them up and registered their passes before dolling out a watch for each person and explaining that the number on the watch corresponded to a locker where they could keep their belongings. She also told them that attendants would be available in both the men’s and women’s areas to answer any further questions and give them their uniforms for the day.

Armin and Mikasa thanked the woman while Eren offered her a smile before being escorted to the women’s area. Armin and Mikasa briefly exchanged their meetup plan before going to their designated areas.

The girls found their lockers, left their shoes and changed into the uniform, it was when they began to make their way up to the communal area that Eren finally questioned, “Mika, what is all this?”

Mikasa paused at the bottom of the stairwell and turned to address her friend, “It’s your birthday present,” she added a small smile before continuing, “we all thought you could use a little time to yourself to relax and unwind a bit, that, and Armin and I have had our eye on this place for a while, we’d been wanting to take a day for all three of us to explore it, but we just haven’t had the chance,” the curve of her smile fell into a flat line as the next few words passed her lips, “especially with that short man monopolizing all your weekends.”

Eren couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped at hearing that last line, “Mika, you know that’s not true, I work on the weekends more than I get to see Levi, also, you’re lucky he’s not here, he’d freak if he heard you say that," she smiled as she looked down at the small towel in her hands, "he doesn’t often show it, but he’s really sensitive about his height.” She paused to let a few more giggles escape, “You guys seriously are too good for me, I can’t even begin to think about what I must have done right in a past life to deserve such wonderful people like you and Armin for my friends,” she leaned forward and captured her friend in strong hug, “Thank you Mikasa.”

She smiled again and hooked their hands together as Mikasa spoke, “Mhm, you were probably more reckless than you are now, but probably just as kind and honest.” She laughed and squeezed Eren’s hand before turning back around and starting to head up the stairwell, “Come on, Armin’s probably already waiting for us. Let’s have fun today.”

“Mm!” Eren hummed happily, following her friend with a content smile plastered on her face.

Moments after the trio reunited, they found themselves wandering around the second floor, bare feet padding across the cool marbled floors of the areas in between the saunas. One side of the floor housed a space lined with a sushi bar and a snack bar, as well as tables and seating areas for eating and chatting, along with a mini spa that housed a nail salon and a placed to get various types of massages. The other side is where the saunas were, as well as a stairwell, which, according to one of the workers, led to another area for more private, and quiet lounging.

The trio found themselves in a small square room, faint blue lights lined the walls behind the stone bench built into the space, Eren lay flat across the bench, Armin sitting upright near her head, and Mikasa sitting at her feet on a tatami mat. They were the only ones in the pleasant heat of the sauna when Eren questioned, “I wonder what this room does?”

“Who knows?” Mikasa said, wiping a thin trail of sweat from her brows and closing her eyes, enjoying the soothing quiet of the room.

Armin wiped his forehead before adding in, “I don’t think this one has any specific health benefits, but it does seem to be a good starter room, and the coloring is really relaxing.”

“Mm,” Eren hummed, letting her eyes close as silence fell over them again for the last several minutes they spent in the room until they decided to try another, hotter sauna.

The second room was much larger, and rectangular in shape, the walls were made of giant blocks of pink salt that even made up the ceiling of the room. The floors were covered in mats to protect their bare feet from touching the hot salt bricks directly. The trio began sitting up, but by about the five-minute mark in this room, they all decided to mimic the other inhabitants and lay flat on the mats; it was much easier to breathe the lower down they were because the air was just a tad bit cooler. They didn’t last much longer before hurrying out of the too-hot room and towards the juice bar to get something refreshing to drink and to lounge a while to let their bodies cool down before exploring the rest of the sauna valley.

It was well into the early evening before the trio could even realized just how many hours had gone by, around the same time, a man with silky black hair and two suit cases was just purchasing his hotel room and being verbally directed to the various accommodations the hotel and spa had to offer.

“Eren,” Armin began, “we still haven’t gone to the pools yet, I asked one of the attendants and I heard that they close at midnight, so we still have time,” he added sheepishly, “if you wanted to go that is.”

She nodded excitedly, but then scrunched her eyebrows together and shook her head, “I’d love to, but I didn’t bring a swimsuit with me, Sorry Ar.”

“I brought you one Eren,” Mikasa stated after downing the rest of her water and setting the metal cup in the dirty dish area.

Looking over to her friend, Eren beamed, and hugged her, ignoring the way her shirt clung to her body and the damp spots that littered Mikasa’s back. She broke the hug and looked to Armin as she said, “Alright, meet you down in 10!”

Around ten minutes later, Armin stood waiting for the girls downstairs near the pools. Soon the duo emerged and made their way to Armin, clad in simple navy blue swimming trunks, while Mikasa wore a standard black bikini and Eren wore a frilly black and white two piece. They were pleasantly surprised to find that most of the pools were heated to either 90 degrees or higher, making swimming extremely pleasant even on that chilly spring night.

They jumped from pool to pool, sharing long overdue semester stories and possible summer plans. After nearly another hour spent wandering through the warm waters, they decided to head back inside and eat at the bar built into one of the heated indoor pools.

The sushi bar upstairs had long since closed, so they’d settled on next best thing, burgers and chicken strips, which they found to be surprisingly well made and delicious. After downing her last bite of burger, Eren took a drink of her soda and nudged Mikasa, “We still haven’t tried out those baths yet…”

She glanced over to Armin. He looked up at the wall that held the clock, then locked eyes with Mikasa and nodded. “Do you want to?” she asked her.

“Mhm,” she nodded, “they look nice, and I kinda want to take a nice long bath." With that decided, they separated, Mikasa and Eren heading towards the women’s bathing area and Armin towards the men’s.

* * *

 

After being scolded by the attendant for the second time that night, Eren finally conceded to using only a towel to salvage what little modesty she could while in the bathing area. Neither uniforms nor swimsuits were allowed in the baths, and they strongly discouraged anyone clothed to enter the area. Steam rose up all around them as Mikasa and Eren settled on small white stools, provided by the spa, to clean themselves before stepping into the mineral bath waters. At first, Eren felt extremely self-conscious, but after a few minutes of realizing that everyone else was in the same state, she felt a little more comfortable and tried her best to focus on bathing, she nearly jumped from the stool when she felt a warm wash cloth hit her back, but settled when she realized it was just Mikasa scrubbing her back.

“What are you plans the rest of the weekend Mika?” Eren asked as her friend softly scrubbed her back.

“Hmm, I’ll probably study, clean up a bit, sleep in.” she smiled at the last words and then returned the question as Eren maneuvered to scrub Mikasa’s back, “What about you?”

“Same thing, maybe,” she paused her scrubbing, “I still haven’t heard from Levi, and I don’t have work tomorrow, so I don’t know if we’re going to do anything or not. He can be a real recluse sometimes.” She laughed lightly and finished rinsing her friend’s back, after giving themselves one more rinse, the duo made their way to the bath waters, starting with the one that was 95 degrees.

“You never know with that man,” Mikasa started, “didn’t he surprised you with an amazing valentine’s day experience?”

Eren nodded, “Well yeah, he did, but that was because we missed out on our original plans, it was pretty spectacular though.” She smiled, remembering each room and how well designed the spaces were.

“Then?” Mikasa raised her brow, but said nothing more.

“I don’t know Mika,” Eren sighed and looked over to another bath before tilting her head in its direction and looking back to Mikasa, she too nodded, and they both made their way to the 100-degree bath. “Lately, it just seems like that things are different.”

Mikasa nodded that she was listening and Eren continued on, “It’s only been a week since I met his family and I can’t help but feel like…I don’t know, like he’s been avoiding me? But not, it’s weird and I don’t like it.”

“Avoiding you? But you were at his place this morning right?”

“Yeah, I was. I stayed the night. I mean, he seems fine when we’re together, but sometimes he has this distant look in his eyes, like he’s lost in another world. I zone out all the time, so I probably shouldn’t talk, but it just seems different when it’s him. And maybe I just hadn’t noticed it before, but it seems to be happening a lot more lately, like something is bothering him and it just…it makes me scared that something is bothering him and he doesn’t feel comfortable sharing it with me, or maybe he thinks talking to me about certain things would just be more annoying than helpful? I don’t know, maybe I’m just thinking on it too much, or being selfish. Sorry, that all just kind of came out…” she ducked her head and sighed, before lowering her body further into the heated embrace of the bath waters.

Mikasa’s response seemed delayed, her usually blank expression twisting into a what appeared to be a soft scowl, but Eren knew it meant she was thinking.

“I don’t like that he’s making you self-conscious, but you mat be onto something. I've noticed lately, even in class his bitch face is more pronounced than usual.”

“Mika!” Eren nearly shouted, giggling at the description.

Mikasa smiled, proud at herself, “But seriously Eren, you have to stop coming up with reasons by yourself and just talk to him. He doesn't seem to be the type to let his personal life interfere with his professional one, but what ever it is seems to be affecting him pretty strongly for me to take notice. It could be family, something from his past, IBS, you won’t ever know until you ask. So don’t dwell on it until you have some established facts.”

Mikasa felt a light nudged on her calf, from what she assumed to be an attempt at an underwater kick. She smiled at that and lifted herself from the water before making her way over to another bath, “Now stop worrying about that shorty for now and let’s enjoy the rest of our night.”

Eren grinned and joined her friend, opting to let her tension melt away in the waters while her mind wandered to a plane of serenity and peace.

* * *

 

While the girls were finishing up their baths, Levi was finishing his preparations; two wine glasses were set to the side, as well as his favorite bottle of sparkling wine, and a tray of fresh cheeses, fruit, and crackers. Initially, he’d been opposed to the idea of going to a sauna, but after a week or so of coercing from the mushroom and catching one too many of Mikasa’s glares, he decided to look into the hotel a bit more. The facilities were maintained superbly and the reviews on the place were impossibly good, so after a few more days of deliberation, he decided to go ahead and book the hotel and spa for the weekend and hoped for the best. Much to his own personal pleasure, he found their menu and selection to be phenomenal, which led to the current giddiness he felt as he placed the finishing touches around the beautifully designed hotel room.

The room itself was two stories, styled like a small apartment loft. On the first level was a grand granite bath encased with frosted glass, a snow white futon with gauzy fabric draped overhead. The stairwell, railed with beautifully designed iron details, led up to the second floor, which overlooked the first. There, a comfy looking queen bed was waiting, as well as a cozy sitting area. The colors were muted browns, camels, and creams, as well as white, gold, and black detailing thrown about to keep it interesting.

Levi debated on whether or not to make the setup on the first floor or next to the bed, but he decided that the added surprise on the second floor would create the best mood. He took one last once over, ensuring the food was placed just right, then moved on to check the gifts, he fiddled with the placement of the bouquet of white and yellow narcissus until satisfied, then repositioned the box, wrapped neatly in gold and white, as well as the large teddy bear he’d bought from the university bookstore on a whim. After nodding in approval, he made his way back downstairs to check his phone, waiting for the message from the blonde to let him know when to make his appearance.

He looked at himself in the mirror once more, straightening his tie and running a nervous hand through his hair, thinking he was far too overdressed for a night in a hotel room, but shushed the thoughts away when he remembered how much Eren enjoys seeing him in a suit. Moments later, he caught himself pacing, still waiting for the message tone to break the relative silence of the quiet room.

After another five minutes or, the text finally came in and he made his way down the hallway to the elevator that led the main lobby of the building. He hoped the manager he’d talked to earlier was still there so he didn’t have to go through the whole checking in process again, he’d already paid for the night and the next day, and had both of their watches upstairs. All he wanted to do was show up right before the trio left, and ideally sweep Eren right off her feet, whether or not the goofy images that ran through his mind would play out exactly as planned had yet to be seen, but a man was allowed to fantasize a little bit right?

The elevator dinged, indicating that he’d reached the lobby floor, and soon he walked out. He looked behind the counter and at first was met with the perplexed eyes of a few young looking people, but soon the dark eyes of the manager met his and a small smile splayed on her lips when she realized what time it was. Levi sat at the bench near the exit, and took a deep breath, he was unreasonably nervous, it was just a birthday surprise, so why was he feeling so short of breath and perspiring? He’d celebrated his fair share of birthday’s for his lovers over the years, but for some reason he couldn’t help but dwell on the possibility that Eren might not want this as a present, she might not want to spend a romantic night in a hotel room with him, she might not want to parade around the sauna’s with him in the morning, or even get a full body scrub or massage… okay so he may have been overthinking things a bit too much. None of Armin’s messages, or even the few terse responses he’d received from Mikasa indicated that she wasn’t enjoying the experience, so why was his psyche so ready and willing to supply with him with so much negative feedback.

A minute or two passed before he saw the familiar bob of blonde hair coming from the men’s side, soon followed by two women dressed in simple lounge-wear, the black haired girl contently smiling in a relaxed manner as the brunette excitedly relayed a story. Levi watched her talk, eyes following her movements as a small smile broke through on his face.

They received bright green plastic cards to pass through the machine to exit and made their way towards the exit, “…anyway, I had a lot of fun, this place is great guys, thanks so much for bringing me.” Eren smiled again and leaned forward to place a kiss on each of her friend’s cheeks, giggling at the small blush that appeared on both of their faces and enjoying how relaxed and carefree she felt. Just as they passed the threshold, Eren spoke again, her voice light and elated, “so who’s idea was this exactly? Because I want to make you a nice dinner and maybe take you to a movie too…”

“Hoh? Dinner and a movie, and here I thought it was your birthday.” The reply dripping with sarcasm broke through, startling only Eren.

“L-Levi!?” she nearly shouted, confusion and excitement lacing her words. “Wow, you look nice.” she paused a moment before inquiring, “What are you doing here?” she turned fully to address him, admiring the way his suit hugged his figure so nicely, while awaiting his reply. Mikasa and Armin took this as the perfect opportunity to slip out, knowing smiles plastered on their faces as they made their way to Armin’s truck and back towards the university.

“Well, aside from wanting to relax and unwind at the spa,” he started, a sly look on his face, masking just how nervous he really felt, “I was hoping to spend some time spoiling my girlfriend for her birthday.”

“O-oh!” Eren said excitedly, her bare face fully flushed up to her ears, and she nervously tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and looked down, at the ground for a moment before turning to address her friends, who by then had vanished. ‘Where did they…?’ Confusion overtook her features as she turned back to see Levi’s much too perfect face with an all knowing and amused expression. She giggled and leaned forward to give him a light peck on his lips. The two had almost forgotten that they were standing in a lobby with 3 pairs of eyes watching them, that is until they heard a lull of “aww” hummed lowly accompanied the serene score that played over the lobby speakers.

“Oh…um,” when Eren began to fidget again, Levi laughed lowly and gently took her by the hand, leading her towards the elevator. To give the staff a satisfying ending to the little drama piece that they helped bring to life, just before the elevator doors shut, Levi stole another quick kiss from a helplessly elated Eren.

After a much too long ride up, Levi led Eren towards their hotel room, he took a deep breath and opened the door, pulled her in and switched on the lights in one fluid motion. He watched her bright eyes light up even more as she took in the room. She wandered in slowly, hesitantly exploring the room; her features changing with each new discovery, Levi followed slowly behind her, delighting in each little gasp and hum of approval that escaped her perfect, plump lips.

“Do you like?” he asked as they ascended the stairs.

“It’s beautiful! I didn’t know hotels could be this…” she paused as she caught sight of the wine, cheese, and fruit display on the nightstand, and the three gifts that lay in the center of the queen bed, “…nice.”

Levi smirked when she lost her ability to speak for a moment, he wrapped her in a hug from behind and whispered into her ear, “Happy Birthday Eren,” punctuating his statement with a kiss below her ear.

He felt her shiver after the kiss, and relaxed his hold as she turned to face him, with dewy eyes she spoke, “this is beautiful, thank you so much Levi,” then kissed him deeply, smiling against his lips and stealing one more kiss before breaking away to admire his face.

After a few tender moments passed, Levi started, “So,” he paused, smoothing back some unruly hairs that escaped her ponytail, “are you going to open your present or stare at me all night. I’m fine with either one honestly, I wouldn't mind being lost in your sea greens.”

Eren’s featured contorted for a moment before she let a laugh escape, “Wow, that was cheesier than that platter, and I’m not sure how I feel about it.”

“Hmm? Am I not playing the part of the sensitive lover well enough, I can go cold and emotionless if you want. It’s all about you, for now.” He countered, lightly pushing her to towards the bed.

“That’s not what I meant, and what’s that about ‘for now’, I think you mean ‘always,’” she giggled as she wiggled out of his embrace and practically bounced towards the center of the bed where her gifts lay in wait.

“We’ll see about that. Now open your present.” When she reached for the beautifully wrapped box first, he lightly swatted her hand and tutted, “Card first, where are your manners?”

Eren’s brows furrowed as she tried to cast a scowl up at Levi but failed because of how happy she felt, “Hey, this is my birthday I get to do what I want.”

“Sure, sure, now hurry up before my hair starts turning gray.” He drolled.

“Starts?” Eren raised a brow, smirking at the displeased grimace that fell over her lover’s face as she opened the card.

“Oh for fucks sake,” he blurted out, pinching the bridge of his nose for added effect.

Eren smiled triumphantly, satisfied to have gotten a rise out of Levi, even if only for a moment as she finally pulled out the card and began reading it. All the while, Levi stood beside her seated form, watching her expressions with renewed interest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So…I just want to thank you all, so, so much for your patience. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more supported…in anything honestly, the support has been overwhelming and I can’t even begin to thank you all for the kind words and the PATIENCE you’ve shown. It’s indescribable really, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you so, so very much.
> 
> As a tangible thank you, once I get back to regular updates(give or take a month or two for me to get my scheduling settled again), I’m going to start filling requests for a series based solely on these requests, so get your thinking engines fired up and be prepared for personalized stories ( in the interest of time management, I’m going to (try to) limit these stories to 3-5 pages [or 1500-3000 words] each, but if I happen to really get into it, it may end up longer!). You can start leaving the requests now if you’d like, I’ll make a spread sheet with names and requests/summaries and I will write stories in a first come-first serve basis! Check back and forth on my tumblr (and Instagram (haruka_hourou)! And Also Twitter (@HarukaHourou)! My decrepit ass is actually getting in gear with this tech shit) for my commission status, I’ll only handle 10 at a time (again because time management is essentially how I live my life without it shattering into little pieces around me) –and be creative! I prefer specific, but vague ideas can also be fun to work with. You can send me a song, excerpts, a scenario, a color, a theme, a flower, whatever you want and I’ll try my best to make something just for you. Chapter names will be theme/feeling covered and the subtitle will be the requester! I will also announce in the end notes of each chapter who the next story will be for + the theme. Please try not to duplicate themes! 
> 
> Fun Fact: I made and took Jell-O shots with my mom (and family like what???). I feel like that should be illegal, but it’s not and I’m so confused with life right now. Also, holy shit guys I started writing this when I was 20, I’m gonna be 23 by the end of the year wtf where has time gone and why am so old fam!!??

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever fanfic, I apologize for any awkward wording or if it becomes awkward to read at times. I would love it if you would leave feedback, I like constructive criticism. Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed this chapter.


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